Tips on driving a SUV or a car in the rain

Driving in the rains is what everyone enjoys, but losing control of your car in the wet or occurrence of aquaplaning is a frightening situation. The water pressure causes the car to slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road surface. At this point, your car is completely out of contact with the road and you are in danger of skidding or drifting out of your lane or even off the road because the car will not steer, brake or accelerate.

Driving a car or suv in rain

To avoid getting in such situation keep your tires properly inflated, maintain enough tread depth on your tires and replace them when necessary. In addition to taking care of tires here are some precautionary measures which can be implemented while driving in rain:

>> Drive slowly and carefully to prevent skids.
>> Steer and brake with a light touch on curves.
>> Avoid stomping on the brakes or turning suddenly as this might throw your car into a slide.
>> Slow down when on wet roads and stay away from puddles.
>> Ease off the gas pedal until the car slows down and you can feel the road again.
>> Try to drive in the tire tracks left by the cars in front of you.
>> If you need to brake, do it gently with light pumping actions, but if your car employs ABS then you can use the brakes as you normally do.

These are precautionary measures to avoid skidding, but what if you lose control of your car and want to stop?

Even if you do lose control and want to stop, make sure that you do not brake hard or lock up the wheels or else you will end up skidding. And if you end up skidding, do not panic as it will only add to the trouble. What you can do is stay calm, ease your foot off the accelerator pedal and steer the car carefully in the direction you want the front of the car to go.

This will not be the case if your car is equipped with ABS, there is no reason to panic all you need to do is simply modulate the brakes as you steer the car.