It’s summertime and with hot temperatures comes high humidity, and with that comes some nasty thunderstorms. Although I totally love to watch thunderstorms, I hate driving in them and they can be very dangerous! Hydroplaning might sound awesome but is actually the complete opposite and by that I mean terrifying. So whether you’ve done it before and are wondering how to avoid it from happening again, or have never experienced it and never want to, you’ve come to the right place.

First off, for all of you who have no idea what hydroplaning is, it refers to the skidding or sliding of a car’s tires across a wet surface. Water pressure in the front of the wheel pushes water under the tire, and the tire is then separated from the road surface by a thin film of water and loses traction. The result is a loss of steering, braking, and power control.

So before you never drive in the rain again there are some things you can do to prevent hydroplaning from occurring

1. Keep your tires properly inflated
2. Rotate and replace tires when necessary
3. Slow down when roads are wet: the faster you drive, the harder it is for your tires to scatter the water
4. Stay away from puddles and standing water
5. Avoid driving in outer lanes where water tends to accumulate
6. Try to drive in the tire tracks left by the cars in front of you
7. Turn off cruise control
8. Drive in a lower gear
9. Avoid hard braking
10. Try not to make sharp or quick turns

Hydroplaning can be a scary thing to encounter, but don’t stress out, remain calm, and try to steer the car into the correct direction, and remember the tips above to try and avoid hydroplaning at all!