Navigating Your Way through the Storm: 4 Dangers of Driving in Heavy Rain

The prospect of driving in strong winds and thunderstorm doesn’t seem like something to be concerned about for experienced drivers. For most of them, there’s really daunting worth worry about so long as it’s not a hurricane or a dangerous hailstorm of some sort. In fact, there are those who bizarrely warm up to the idea of dashing in full speed whenever rains start to pound!

But unbeknownst to this ignorant lot, driving through a stormy neighborhood is actually dangerous. The turbulent ride aside, there are a lot of risks abound, from the risk of a tire burst, possible distractions due to the reduced visibility and the road flooding. So dangerous are these rains that according to the Weather.gov, out of the possible 100,000 thunderstorms that occur annually in the US alone, over 10% of them are classified as severe.

Next time you are caught in the middle of a massive rain, and you’re behind the wheels, mind the following dangers of driving as it rains:

1. It is a risky adventure

The U.S. Department of Transportation acknowledges the inherent risks as a result of driving as it rains. And the reason behind this is because rains often affect the efficiency of the car’s wheels on the road’s surface. When the surface is slippery, and the wheels no longer have sufficient grip, the vehicle can easily swerve off the road. And with the swerving are lots of dangers, including hitting other vehicles or the entire car rolling and endangering the lives of its occupants.

2. Driving on the rain makes it hard to spot potholes and debris

That’s right; with the overall visibility hampered, you may not see any potholes on the road. And while they may have a little overall effect, too many potholes on the road will undoubtedly affect the efficiency of the car in the long run.

3. You may cause accidents

Apart from inadvertently hitting other motorists and pedestrians, there are chances of being hit by other cars as well. Any form of disaster, whether you are responsible or not, is costly and dangerous to lives and the wellness of the automobile. As attorneys from Greene Broillet & Wheeler often say, you may easily incur millions in lawsuits, something that you could have just avoided.

4. It can be inconveniencing

Usually, when it rains, a traffic snarl-up follows. And it does persist up until the rains stop, something that may even take a couple of hours. To save yourself the agony of getting holed up inside your car in a jam that would take hours to open up, avoid driving altogether.

No need to rebelliously drive in heavy thunderstorms!

As you would be advised, there’s little harm driving in a slight downpour. You must also be sure that the car’s equipment is working well, especially the headlights, tail lights, and windshield wipers. You can drive in low speed with the lights fully on, ensuring that the highway has no trees lining up along the road.

While driving slowly, try to keep a more considerable distance between your car and the vehicle ahead of you. If you spot any standing water that could cause your vehicle to skid and hydroplane, drive around it or, better yet, switch lanes.

Remember, personal injuries as a result of defiantly driving in heavy rains can be costly both health-wise and financially. So, if you can’t park and wait, drive slowly and cautiously while avoiding hitting other people’s cars.