Hydroplane, but only if you want to!

As we say goodbye to Summer we have to now fix our concentration on other kinds of driving other than nice dry road types. There are people who live in areas that become socked in with snow and ice. I won't even pretend to know anything about driving in such conditions. I just ask how is that done? It seems to me to be an extra difficult thing to get around, especially on hilly terrain when you are faced with blizzards, ice on the road, and snow banks, if you can even find your car. I am just not hardy enough to be able to cope with those conditions.

I wanted to talk about simply driving in rainy conditions, because we do need to refocus our minds. The greatest danger to winter weather drivers is that we will have to drive in rainy conditions, which brings along with it special protocols. If we are not aware or choose to ignore them we are likely to end up in a bad way, and worse, we will be the cause of misfortune to others.

The number one danger is that of Hydroplaning our cars due to the loss of control. I am told that there are several things we should keep in mind:

One: Slow down during wet periods. If we drive too fast for the state of the road your wheels will not be able to maintain contact with the surface. The result will most likely be a disaster.

Two: Maintain tyres in good condition. Good thread equals good contact with the road surface.

Three: I'm told that to turn off the cruise control should probably be number one on the list. The driver has to take back control to be able to make crucial decisions at all times.

For manual geared cars it is better to drive in at least one gear down from the top gear. In other words, I drive in fourth rather than fifth. This gives me better control and means that I drive at a reduced rate. At night time, even if my eyesight was 20/20, which it's not, it's better to reduce speed from say, 120 kph to 100. The lower speed results in an increased ability on my part to see things that are hard to see because of the dark. If its raining I reduce even farther down to 90. This is especially helpful in seeing pedestrians crossing the road.

When cruising on water in the road, if we turn sharply or make hard braking stops this indicates that we were not sufficiently focused or that we failed to anticipate what lay ahead. Making such sudden moves when our contact with the surface is not secure will probably lead to a crash.

We must remember that during dry periods vehicles are constantly dropping little bits of oil. This builds up over time and when it rains water is added to oil. That's a cocktail that should be avoided at all costs; but we are unable to avoid it. Perhaps as much as the first half hour of the first rain is washing away the residue of the oil into the gutter. While that is happening we face the worst of conditions.

One final point to be aware of: Sometimes we see ahead a nice large pool of water. Wouldn't it be nice to drive into that and make a really nice splash. There are no pedestrians around to drown, so go for it! Not! We may find that we totally lose control and the weight of the water swings the car out of control, even flipping it over. I resist the temptation, as difficult as that is, because that little kid in me sometimes get the better of me.

Copyright (c) 2016
Eugene Carmichael