Have you ever driven through a large body of water and felt your steering wheel slip off the road? That's hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning occurs when driving on wet roads at speeds over 35 mph with tires in poor condition. To prevent hydroplaning from occurring, drivers should travel slowly and stay off cruise control during wet weather driving conditions.
The Definition of Hydroplane
Have you ever driven through a puddle and suddenly felt your steering wheel lose its grip? Hydroplaning occurs when water accumulates faster in front of your tires than they can disperse it, lifting the car onto a thin layer of water that lifts it from beneath them. Not only is hydroplaning frightening but it could cause you to slide and potentially crash. Therefore it is vitally important that drivers understand what hydroplaning is as well as ways they can avoid it.
As drivers, most are aware that when the weather turns bad they should adjust their driving accordingly, but many don't realize rain can be just as hazardous to driving as snow and ice. According to the Department of Transportation, 70% of weather-related vehicle crashes take place on wet pavement and 47% occur during rainfall events.
Hydroplaning can be caused by several factors. One such factor is tire condition, including tread depth and whether or not they're over or under-inflated; another factor is your driving speed, with vehicles more likely to hydroplane at faster speeds; finally water depth also plays an influential role - deep puddles or lakes being more likely to lead to hydroplaning in vehicles.
Hydroplaning may be disconcerting, but it's far less dangerous than many people think. One reason is that your vehicle will usually only hydroplane for short amounts of time before regaining control. However, it's still essential that you remain mindful of the situation so you don't panic or make any unwise movements while your vehicle hydroplanes. Slamming on the brakes, for instance, will only cause your front tires to lose traction and possibly spin out of control. Instead, take care to ease off of the gas and gradually steer toward a dry section of the road; alternatively, follow in the tracks left by vehicles ahead so your tires have a chance at reconnecting with the road surface.
The Delight
Sightings of insects skimming across a lake's surface or water skiers gracefully moving across it are mesmerizing; but, when your car hydroplanes and you lose control, it can be frightening for even experienced drivers. Hydroplaning occurs when your tires lose contact with the road due to too much water on it. Tires are designed with grooves and other features to enhance traction on wet roads, but sometimes those grooves become filled with water faster than your vehicle is moving it away, creating a thin layer that separates tires from roads and makes your vehicle skim along its surface. Hydroplaning usually only lasts a few seconds before you can regain control of the vehicle again.
Hydroplaning occurs most often when roads are wet, though it can happen under any weather condition. Snow, sleet, and ice are obvious triggers of hydroplaning; but even regular plain rain poses a threat that may cause the front tires to hydroplane while rear tires lose traction as a result of being wetted down too quickly by raindrops. You can prevent hydroplaning by limiting travel during poor weather, driving at safe speeds for road type and tread type, and keeping tires properly inflated - plus keeping all tires inflated!
When your car hydroplanes, the most important thing to keep in mind is not to panic. By staying calm and taking your foot off the accelerator, your car should gradually slow down as its wheels regain traction and regain speed. If necessary, use steering wheel steering in the direction you wish to head and keep driving in that lane - slamming on brakes could not only slow it down further but cause its tires to lock and spin out of control!
The Risk
As terrifying as losing control of your vehicle is on wet roads, hydroplaning - or skidding along on top of water that sits atop the pavement - is one of the scariest experiences one can endure. Without warning it can turn from an otherwise smooth flow of traffic into an unpredictable nightmare of traffic jams and sudden collisions.
Hydroplaning can be hazardous for several reasons. Notably, it decreases a driver's ability to steer or brake. Furthermore, keeping track of speed while hydroplaning tires may make it impossible to monitor speed accurately - leading to faster than anticipated travel speeds that you cannot react accordingly for.
Hydroplaning risks increase depending on rainfall intensity, road surface type and drainage conditions as well as your tires' condition - worn-out tires with little tread depth are less effective at dispersing water quickly from them, while underinflated ones don't offer sufficient traction on the road surface either. Furthermore, speed plays an integral part in hydroplaning occurrence; driving faster increases your chances of losing grip and hydroplaning.
If your vehicle hydroplanes, there are a few steps you should take to regain control. First and foremost, don't panic! Jerking the steering wheel only makes matters worse; take your foot off of the gas instead, allowing your front tires to reconnect with the road and regain traction again, while your rear tires continue to grip onto pavement. Next, don't slam on brakes abruptly - this may induce skidding that causes sudden turns that put cars ahead at risk.
Slow down and be cautious around puddles on the road. While leaving some space between yourself and the car in front of you is always recommended, it becomes especially essential when driving in bad weather conditions.
The Solution
Most drivers understand the need to reduce speed and disable cruise control when driving on icy or snowy roads, yet hydroplaning can occur at any speed - up to 35 mph in some instances. Most dangerous areas for hydroplaning involve deep puddles, runoff, or other areas with standing water on the road surface as well as oil or dust deposits that have settled onto wet pavement surface.
Hydroplaning usually doesn't last too long, but can still be very disorienting and frightening for drivers. To stay calm during a hydroplaning episode and prevent your chances of losing control while trying to regain contact with the roadway from increasing exponentially, stay calm. Panicking or jerking the wheel only increases your risk as you attempt to gain contact again with it.
Steering into a skid should also be avoided, as this will make regaining control more challenging. Instead, look for open space on the road and plan to travel there as soon as you regain traction - this will enable a quick exit once your tires regain contact with the road surface.
Allow a few seconds between yourself and the car in front of you in all conditions, but particularly during rainy or stormy conditions. This allows time for pushing away excess water that your tire tread may produce as well as maintaining traction on the road.
Finally, avoid driving through any deep puddles or areas of standing water at all costs. Although the road may appear dry, you never know the depth or volume of these puddles and how much water they could contain. Furthermore, it would be wise to stay on your lane rather than change lanes following in front of another car's tracks in these conditions.
Taken together, these steps should reduce the chances of hydroplaning; however, it cannot be completely avoided. When hydroplaning does occur, don't slam on the brakes or oversteer; doing so could make things worse and could even result in collision or accident. Instead, relax on the gas pedal and steer gently in your desired direction once traction has been restored.