According to the FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) there are approximately 5,870,000 weather related crashes per year. 23% of these crashes are weather related. On average, 6,250 people per year are killed in these crashes and 480,000 are injured. Many of these crashes can be avoided if people take precaution and adhere to tips on how to drive in poor weather conditions.
A large majority of these accidents happen during rainfall and wet pavement conditions. Below are a variety of tips to help one learn how to drive more safely during these Tennessee rain storms that we will be seeing more of this fall and winter.
- Don’t keep putting off getting the tires that you may need. Driving on poor tread and tires that are not inflated as much as they should be are dangerous.
- Keep good windshield wipers on your car. Don’t get caught in a heavy downpour with poor wipers that don’t work. You will regret not taking the time to change these out.
- If rain is so bad that you absolutely can’t see, pull off the side of the road. There is no where you must be that is so important that you can’t take a few minutes to see if the weather is going to let up and help with visibility.
- Always use your headlights in rain and fog. You may not think you need it to see but others need it to see you!
- Take extra precaution when it rains after being dry for quite some time. The rain will stir up all the oil and grease that has accumulated over the hot summer days and when it hits, it will be very slippery.
- In rain, you must put on your brakes earlier than in non-rainy conditions. Brakes are great but not foolproof! You must know that it takes longer for them to slow the car down during a downpour!
- Take extra time to make sure you reach your destination. If it takes you 30 minutes to get to work on a beautiful sunshiny day, you may want to allow 45 on a rainy day.
- Take curves slow! PERIOD
- Try to avoid big water and mud puddles that build up during rain storms. You may need to stay a little closer to the center in order to avoid them.
- Hydroplaning is when the water in front of your tires builds up faster than your cars weight can push it out of the way. The best way to handle this is to not slam on brakes but rather take foot off gas and control the wheel until it gets in the direction you want it to go.
If you or your loved ones have been injured in an accident that you believe could have been avoided had someone driven properly in poor weather conditions, contact Tennessee auto crash attorneys for a free consultation.
Stay safe out there and remember to take it slower on these messy type of days!
