It might not strike a mind how dangerous candriving beon a rainy day, but it is a truth that sometimes it could be more dangerous than adriving through snow. When it rains, theroad surface gets wet and to quite an extent slippery.Because of this, the chances of a crash aremuch higher than any other road conditions. This fact is even shared by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). But that could not be reasons enough to stop you from going to your work or any necessary or even luxurious trips. Hence, the best way is to gather some information beforehand on how to cope with the rains when you are on your wheels and protect yourself and your family form an untoward road accident.
Safetyexperts from Phoenix Mazda dealer came up with some tips and techniques that need to be followed if you are facing difficulties while driving on a heavy rain.
Tire Treading:
Tire treading is the first key to deal with rains while sitting in your car and driving it down. According to the NHTSA too, the tires that come witha 2/32inch of tread are not safe. Especially, if you are planning to drive in rains, in the rainy season, consider replacing the tires before they are worn out.
Tire pressure too hasanother important role to play in this. So, do remember to check the pressure before you take out the car in rains, and if possible exercise the same at least once in a month, with a tire gauge.
Windshield Wipers:
The windshield wipers are lifesavers when rains continuously keep the panorama hazy and don’t allow you to look through the glass. Do not forget totry them outif theyare still sound to take upthe task. It is better to have a pair of these wipers in stock and replace the existing ones if they delay in responding or stop of its own.
Car Lights
Visibility is the first thing that gets affected when it is raining. Therefore, checking out the head and tail lights, brake lights and all the turning signal lights is one precaution you cannot ignore. The rules that you need to follow with these lights while driving in rains are:
- Turn on your headlights to ensure better visibility.
- Keep the wipers on till rain stops
- Turn on the turning indication lights to avoid collision with other cars.
Slow down:
According to the Mazda Phoenix dealer, picking up speed when the road is wet and slippery is dangerous in every sense as on the wet pavementsthe tires lose traction because of the precipitation. If your car has the traction-control feature, turn it on, as that is one of the tailor-made features you can have for rainy days.
The Antilock Braking System
The Antilock braking systems (ABS) are one of the features that help maintainthe steering control when hard braking is used. Thus, turn on this feature to protect your car from losing control on the steering wheels.
