Wet Weather Driving Tips – Staying Safe in the Rain

If you’re planning a drive and it has started raining, be careful before setting off. Rain can make driving more hazardous for a number of reasons: reduced grip can make stopping distances longer, and you’re at an increased risk of aquaplaning in emergencies or at speed. Here are some tips to help you get where you’re going safely.

What to Do Before Setting Off

Before any drive, it’s important to check some things – but it’s especially so before driving in heavy rain, snow, or ice.

Consider whether your journey’s necessary

Depending on the time of year that it’s raining, it’s worth really considering whether you absolutely need to leave right now. Check the weather forecast and try to establish whether waiting for a little time will allow the weather to clear up. It’s amazing how quickly showers (even heavy ones) move on sometimes!

But if your journey’s essential, be sure to complete some checks before heading out.

Check your wipers & screen wash

Your wipers might seem like insignificant parts of your car, but it’s actually a legal requirement to ensure that your front and back windscreens are kept clear at all times.

Something as simple as mud kicked up from the road can significantly reduce visibility and put you in a dangerous situation. So be sure to check that the windscreen wipers work on all settings and that your screen wash is topped up.

Check your fuel

With wetter weather comes more traffic as people slow down for safety. Driving in lower gears is safer but also dramatically increases fuel consumption – be sure to check your fuel gauge when you start your car in case you need to make a pit stop to fill up.

Listen out for traffic updates

These days, navigation tools like Google Maps will often feature real time updates for congestion and accidents. It’s nevertheless worth keeping an ear out for announcements on local radio stations a little before heading off and while driving – if you can bear the music, that is.

Keep your phone charger in your car

Getting stuck in traffic (or worse), in bad weather, with a dead phone is a rain on any parade. Be sure to keep a spare phone charger in your car, and even a spare portable power bank for good measure! It’s crucial to be able to call for help, or even just to alert friends that you’ll be late to a planned event.

Check your tyres

It’s really important to check your tyres before driving in wet weather. The tread depth of your tyres is directly responsible for channelling water away from your tyres and keeping you firmly in contact with the road. Here’s a full guide on checking your tyres before heading off.

Tips for driving in wet weather

So, once you’ve established it’s necessary to drive and that it’s safe to do so, it’s worth keeping some crucial tips in mind.

Slow down

The most important thing when driving in rain, ice, or snow is to slow down. Driving at high speeds always increases stopping distances simply because there’s more momentum for your brakes & tyres to slow down. But stopping distances in wet weather can increase almost exponentially. So be sure to really slow down in order to give yourself time to react to hazards.

Visibility – turn on your headlights

Be sure to turn on your dipped headlights – even in the daytime – as visibility is reduced in the rain. That said, don’t be tempted to switch on your rear fog lights as this can dazzle drivers behind you and make it more difficult for them to drive safely.

Also look out for spray created by large or fast vehicles: the spray kicked up by a lorry, coupled with the rain already falling, can quickly cover your windshield.

And stop your windows misting up by putting your car’s heating on – though air con works to dehumidify too!

Look out for puddles

Look out for large puddles of water as driving through these too quickly can not only cause damage to your vehicle but also splash pedestrians or other vehicles. Driving too fast through water can also lead to your tyres losing grip and your vehicle aquaplaning. If you feel yourself going into a skid, ease off the accelerator until you regain control.

After you’ve driven through standing water, you should test your brakes to make sure that they are still functioning as they should. You can do this by driving slowly and lightly pressing your brakes taking care to check that there are no other vehicles in close proximity.

Keep your distance

Maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front. Increased stopping distances mean that a greater distance is required to give you time to react. You should also avoid braking harshly as this can be unsafe on wet roads.

Be careful at junctions

You should also take extra care at junctions as water can build up here as well as vehicle fluids which can cause a major skid risk. Therefore, you should approach junctions at a low speed, remaining aware of everything going on around you – you may be driving safely but you need to be aware of others who may not be.

Maintain a good grip on the steering wheel

Heavy rain is often accompanied by strong winds so make sure that you are in control of your vehicle – with good grip on the steering wheel. It is best to be prepared for a sudden gust of wind to prevent you being taken by surprise and unable to react quickly enough.

Flooding

An extended period of heavy rain inevitably leads to flooding in some areas. Some roads that are near rivers flood often and these will have markers which indicate how deep the standing water is.

However, in other areas that are less prone to flooding, there won’t be any indicator as to how deep the water is. In this case, if the water looks deep and you’re unsure, it’s usually best to see if there is another route you can take. If you do drive through standing water, ensure that you take it slowly as you could cause problems for other road users or damage to your own vehicle. If your engine gets waterlogged, this can lead to engine failure.

Breaking down in the rain

While you’re more likely to break down in hot weather due to overheating components, breaking down in wet weather is altogether less pleasant. Although most elements under a car’s bonnet are weather sealed, it’s good practice to not leave it open unnecessarily in wet weather.

Need tyres checked?

If you notice that your tyre tread is running a bit thin, get in touch with your local Kwik Fit centre to organise a tyre replacement.