what to do when hydroplaning

Instead, take the following steps to regain control and avoid a disaster. If you feel like your car is starting to slide over a wet road, do not panic. Do not make any quick or sharp turns, avoid hard braking, and like we said above, do not speed or pass other motorists. While freak accidents and car failure are frightening, the loss of traction in wet conditions can be just as frightening, as it happens quickly and occurs without warning. What to Do When Your Vehicle Hydroplanes. Unfortunately, there are times that hydroplaning will occur no matter how careful you are. No matter how safe of a driver you may be, hydroplaning can still occur. Those who have not experienced it before may think that it’s kind of like a car slipping on the road, but there’s more to it than that. 1. Final Thoughts. These are the steps you can take to regain control if you should begin hydroplaning on a wet surface. When it comes to driving in the rain, common sense reigns supreme. But what should you do if you start hydroplaning anyway? Also sudden acceleration could pull the vehicle straight ahead which could be dangerous if the vehicle is pointed toward the edge of the roadway. What To Do If Your Car Hydroplanes Posted on December 4, 2010 by Defensive Driving Team | in Defensive Driving Online. Hydroplaning can be a stressful experience, breathing calmly before returning to the road. Do not attempt to speed or use your brakes if possible as that will only make you lose control even more. There are several things you can do to avoid hydroplaning, including: 1. Of course, it's not actually possible to measure water depth while you're driving, and hydroplaning can happen on any wet road surface, so be safe and treat all wet roads as potential hydroplaning zones. Stay calm. Let’s take a look at what causes hydroplaning first and go from there. When you stay calm, you can think quickly and more clearly. Hydroplaning or aquaplaning happens when the tires of a vehicle lose traction on a wet roadway, causing the car to drift like a sled until the wheels gain traction again. Preventing hydroplaning boils down to two things: having the right tire and maintaining the proper tread depth. Hydroplaning happens when water on the surface of the road separates the tires from the ground, causing it to lose traction. Hydroplaning is a terrifying situation for even the most experienced driver. Slow down and drive carefully when the roads are wet. What to Do When Hydroplaning. That said, hydroplaning can still occur even if you’re traveling at speeds below 50 km/h, or even when a road is only slightly wet. Hydroplaning occurs when a tire encounters more water than it can scatter. Roads are often rich with oil residue, and when the oil mixes with rainwater, the chances of a hydroplaning accident increases. How to Recover from Hydroplaning. Don’t panic. When this happens, the response of the driver determines whether the situation can be recovered or turn worse. Hydroplaning can also happen when water can't drain off the road quickly enough (during a heavy downpour, for example) or when there are low spots in the road that allow puddles to form. These types of situations can have quite an effect on you, emotionally and mentally. Hydroplaning, which people also refer to as aquaplaning, is a phenomenon that can present a lot of danger to anyone on the road when it happens. Before covering what you should do when you hydroplane, let's talk about some of the things that you definitely should not do. While hydroplaning my sound like a fun water sport, it’s actually incredibly dangerous. Your response to partial hydroplaning is common sense: slow the heck down. Hydroplaning typically lasts a few seconds; then, you can regain control. It occurs when water is forced under your tires, causing them to leave the surface of the roadway and you to lose control of the car. What to Do If You Hydroplane. Any steering you have to do should be done very gently and slight; avoid swerving or turning hard if … Hydroplaning can be a scary and dangerous experience. Use Common Sense. In these situations, your tires hit the water faster than they can push it away, causing them to ride on top of it, which can cause a loss of control. Hold the steering wheel firmly, and keep the nose of vehicle pointed straight ahead. Hydroplaning occurs when too much water comes between the surface of the road and your vehicle’s tires. Hydroplaning is one of the scariest things that can happen when you are driving a vehicle. Panic. Aside from not driving too fast, you can do other things to minimize the chance of hydroplaning, such as: Maintaining and when necessary replacing your tires. This is called hydroplaning, and it’s more common than you think. If you keep your head and don't panic, the situation is manageable. Take Your Foot Off of The Accelerator Once you have regained control, you may want to pull over to a safe space and take a moment to calm down. First of all, don't slam on the brakes, and don't oversteer. Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, hydroplaning occurs. What Not to Do When You Hydroplane. When you’re hydroplaning, your brakes won’t work, and in fact slamming on your brakes can actually cause this loss of control. Hit the Brakes. As you feel your car lose contact with the road, calmly but firmly grip the steering wheel with both hands. Essentially, hydroplaning occurs when a car’s tires lose contact with the road; driving a car that is hydroplaning is similar to driving on ice. How to Avoid Hydroplaning. What to Do if You Hydroplane As a person might imagine, this situation is extremely dangerous, since the vehicle is out of the driver's control while it slides. Here are a few ways to avoid hydroplaning: Watch your speed. Hydroplaning can happen when water flows between your car’s tires and the pavement. There are two scenarios at play here with regards to 4 wheel drives, hydroplaning and wet roads. Simply let off the throttle and coast through any hydroplaning situation. Do not hit the brakes - reduce your speed by smoothly taking your foot off of the gas pedal, engage your clutch if you are driving a manual vehicle, and let it coast to the point where the hydroplaning stops. Since hydroplaning is a loss of traction to the front tires sudden braking slows the front tires but locks the rear tires which can cause a spin out. Panicking will only make it harder for you to think clearly and avoid danger. 4 Wheel Drive and Hydroplaning. 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Can ’ t, you may be, hydroplaning occurs when too much comes... Is pointed toward the edge of the road separates the tires from the ground, causing it to lose.! To hydroplaning thing to do if you should do when you hydroplane a ’... Heck down are created equal braking or speeding up out of panic will lead to a space. The steps you can do to avoid hydroplaning, or aquaplaning, is most. Over to a safe choice, but not all tires are created equal for even the most dangerous the! When the roads are wet slow down and drive carefully when the roads are wet hold steering! All seasons are usually a safe space and take a moment to calm down pull over to a safe and! Vehicle pointed straight ahead safe space and take a moment or two to recover from near-miss...

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