BROWSE HOW TOs

How to Drive Safely in Rain

By eHow Cars Editor

Rate: (28 Ratings)

Heavy rains can quickly reduce your visibility and create slippery and hazardous road conditions. And remember, driving safely begins before you've left the curb.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Car Manuals
Washer Fluids
Window Cleaner
Wiperblades
Roadside Emergency Cards
Emergency Flares

Step1

Confirm that your windshields and windows are clean, both inside and out, before driving. Clear your interior windows regularly of smoke residue if you're a smoker.

Step2

Check headlights, taillights, brake lights and turn signals. Make sure the windshield wiper motor is functioning and that both wiper blades are not worn down or split.

Step3

Turn on your headlights along with your wipers whenever it starts raining.

Step4

Drive slower than the speed limit in bad conditions.

Step5

Keep a greater-than-normal distance from the car ahead of you to compensate for poor braking conditions.

Step6

Pull over when it's raining so hard you can't see the edge of the road or other vehicles. Rest areas, roadside malls and restaurants are the best places to stop until the deluge desists.

Tips & Warnings

Many states require motorists to turn on their headlights when it's raining and when visibility is less than 500 feet. Check with your Department of Motor Vehicles or consult a traffic officer if you're not sure about your state's policies on wet-weather driving.

Comments

BirdMan said

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on 5/19/2007 I was just going to comment myself about using cruise control in the rain AND snow. You runa very real risk of hydroplaning. I happened to my wife several years ago and she was only doing 40kph in an 80kph zone, in a snowstorm. Our van slid off the highway and into the ditch and caused over $8000.00 in repairs. So be careful.

BirdMan said

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Anonymous said

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on 2/1/2006 In any driving situation, just keep space in front. If you can, don't drive in parallel with other cars, that way if you need to swerve, you can.

Anonymous said

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on 1/24/2006 Many drivers are unaware that using your car's cruise control is not safe in rainy conditions. Unless your vehicle is equipped with electronic traction control, using cruise control in the rain can actually cause you to have an accident. This is because the computer does not react properly to changing traction conditions, and when your car loses traction, you will often not have time to disengage the cruise control manually (since hitting the brakes is a bad idea as well).

Anonymous said

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on 1/23/2006 Drive with your headlights on at all times. This is especially true in bad weather.
Rule: wipers on - headlights on.
A car in much more visible to other drivers with the headlights on. Don't worry about burning out your headlights, they are much cheaper than an accident. Also note that parking lights are for parking, not for bad weather driving. Parking lights have less than 5% of the visibility of headlights.