Weather conditions can greatly increase your chances of being involved in a car accident. Rain can be a contributing factor in many car accidents, particularly if you live in a usually dry area or it has been a long time since it’s rained. This means that people may not have much experience driving in wet conditions, or when the rain is significantly heavy.
When the weather is bad, there are two types of drivers that can cause the risk of an accident to increase; timid and reckless drivers. Excessively timid drivers can slow down unreasonably, causing traffic to back up and create extra congestion on the streets. This can increase the risk of accidents such as read-ending another car. Reckless drivers can ignore the impact that wet roads and low visibility can have on driving ability, and still drive at or even over the speed limit or change lanes quickly. This can cause a car to skid or cause the drive to lose control and cause an accident.
As well as the rain wetting the road and causing it to be slippery, roads are often at their most slick right at the start of a rainstorm. This is because the initial wetting of the road causes the oil to rise and creates a greasy surface.
Rainstorms can also cause low visibility, both from the weather conditions and also from dirty water being kicked up from puddles on the road. Windscreens can also become obscured quickly. It’s important to make sure that your car always has functional windscreen wipers.
To avoid being involved in a car accident in the rain, drive a little slower to allow for better reaction times and better tire traction. Keep your eyes on traffic directly ahead of you and follow their actions; if they break, you break. Reduced visibility means you may not see a hazard ahead as you would on a dry day. Use your car’s defog function to reduce fogging inside the car, which also limits your visibility.
Lastly, avoid driving through large puddles, and try to stay near the centre of the road if possible. Puddles of water can be deeper than you anticipate, and entering them can also have an impact on your tire’s ability to grip the road, causing you to become stuck or stranded.