Driving safely either on back roads, highways, or city streets is already a task in itself, but when you add rain to the mix, it take the difficulty to a whole new level. Whether it is daytime or nighttime, rain can be a hazardous condition to drive in. Rainy weather can be dangerous for you, your passengers, and others surrounding you on the road. The wetness from the rain causes your tires to perform under par compared to driving on dry roads as well as your vision to be blurry from the drops hitting both your front and back windows.
Tips to use when driving or preparing to drive in the rain:
- Give yourself enough time to reach your destination, even if that requires leaving a few minutes (or hours, depending on the length of your trip) early
- Brake earlier and use less force – rain causes your tires and brakes to become slippery which can easily cause an accident
- Turn on your headlights
- Do not use cruise control – you want full control of your vehicle the entire time
- Give the surrounding cars extra distance and space
- If you can, stay towards the middle lanes – water tends to pool on the edges of roads
- If you become too scared or nervous, you can either pull off to the side of the road and wait for the rain to slow down, or you can drive slow and put on your emergency lights, alerting other drivers that you are not moving at a normal speed
Do you have any special tricks you use to stay safe while driving a freight truck in the rain?