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-   -   Safe Driving in the Rains (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-safety/41953-safe-driving-rains-39.html)

Keeping TCS off even in regular driving conditions is never a good idea let alone in the monsoons, You might never know when you need to swerve out of the way or dodge an obstruction so ideally never switch off the TCS unless untill you're on a race track or an empty safe environment where a bit of fun won't harm yourself or anyone else nearby.

Yeah that is a very safe approach. You are not only avoiding aquaplaning yourself but prevent yourself getting hit by vehicles aquaplaning from the opposite side.

My Liva's windshield was making squeaking noises every time the wiper blade did a sweep. A glass polish solved the issue. And as Mumbai received its first heavy rains, I was out on the road with the trusty Turanzas. I cant emphasise enough on wheel alignment, balancing and rotation enough before the rains & always anticipating + being mindful while safe driving.

Also would appreciate if people stay below 20kph while traversing city lanes. Way too many community animal mishaps happen during this period & since I am a care taker it is a tough time.

Very useful thread, wanted to add my 2 penny bit=
don't use cruise control on wet roads due to threat of aquaplaning which can take you by surprise.

I do not see the connection. Unless it is that a person's attention is less on the driving with cruise control, and that absolutely should not be the case.

By the way, one cannot aquaplane on a wet road: it requires standing water. Sure, one can skid. And stopping distances are always increased.

Absolutely right, you need standing water, but for the purpose of the thread heading, driving in rains, I thought wet description was more appropriate .For taking precautions, the first warning sign should be wet roads, standing water may not be everywhere, that depends on road quality, camber of road etc.

Without going into the semantics of terms, here's a case study of what I was trying to convey:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/wild-when-wet/

=A 36 year old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car. A resident of Kilgore, Texas, she was traveling between Gladewater & Kilgore. It was raining, though not excessive, when her car suddenly began to hydroplane and literally flew through the air.

She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence!

When she explained to the highway patrolman what had happened he told her something that every driver should know NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON. She had thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain. But the highway patrolman told her that if the cruise control is on and your car begins to hydroplaned – when your tires loose contact with the pavement your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed and you
take off like an airplane.. She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred.

We all know you have little or no control over a car when it begins to hydroplane. You are at the mercy of the Good Lord. The highway patrol estimated her car was actually traveling through the air at 10 to 15 miles per hour faster than the speed set on the cruise control.=


Drive safe!

Thanks GTO for putting this thread up - in time for our current season of rains.

A few points to remember when driving in the mountains where rains play havoc - landslides, bridge collapses and the like.

1. Look out for fallen rocks on the road - this can be challenging in heavy downpour - but it's super necessary since the rock could be big enough to hit the under-body and damage parts.

2. When giving way to an uphill vehicle chose a safe spot on the road - if you are on the mountain side then look for deep gutters on the left where your car could get stuck; if you are on the khud (valley) side then super careful to make sure the edge of the road is strong enough to bear the weight of your vehicle. It might be necessary to unroll the window and lean out to make sure of these aspects.

3. When climbing sharp hairpin-bends on slushy roads it could be very slippery and you could lose traction. Drive steadily in 1st or 2nd gear and do NOT apply brakes when climbing up. Braking will break the momentum and result in wheel slipping when you try to accelerate again. (unless you have a 4x4 :))

4. When going down steep slopes use an appropriate gear for engine braking - do not depend on the brakes alone. (recently I drove through Jalori Pass in Himachal and it was raining heavily - there were signboards and policemen to advise people to drive in only 1st or 2nd gear specially downhill. I asked the fellows why - there had been many lost lives due to negligent driving in the past few days).

5. When going uphill keep extra safe distance from large vehicles like buses and trucks - if they stall or if their wheels slip they are likely to roll back before they can start moving forward again.

6. Points about keeping water, food, etc have already been mentioned - but it may be helpful to have a blanket or two for the mountains - in case you need to spend the night due to a landslide.

I hope this helps and others from the Himalayas can add to this.

Dear Sir, This seems to be a great advice. Could you pls elaborate as to how the same is to be used? Thanking in anticipation.

Great advice, it was the start of rains in Thane a few days back and while braking my car skid and hit a bike in front. There was no injuries or major damage. Just a minor scratch on my car and a small dent on the rear of the bike. A safe driving can not just avoid accidents but also reduce the impact of the accidents by multifold. Often, this is the line between life and death. Drive safe everyone :)

Great write up. Thanks GTO.

Typing this after a drive from Bombai to Poone. The amount of road works in both the cities and on the highway has made driving extra hazardous, especially with no warning signs or proper barricades in most of the construction zones. The tips in this article are more relevant than ever.

Have seen the blinker practice only in Maharashtra. Doesn’t make sense unless you really have a problem that is requiring you to drive extra slow or any other issue that requires vehicles to stay away from you.
What are headlights and tail lamps for after all?

While heavy rains lash the city, we can see delivery guys from Blinkit, Dunzo, Swiggy, Zomato and other services braving the bad weather to make their deliveries on time.
These guys have a hard enough life, and are serving the most prosperous segment of our society (which includes many members of this forum). Suggest we give them a bit more leeway than usual so they can get their work done without taking additional risks, and also tip them generously as a small token of thanks.

I have a 2006 Toyota corolla which you have already seen in my previous posts. My car comes with ABS & EBD as standard.
So this incident happened yesterday night at around 9:00pm as i was returning from my cousins place. It was raining heavily
and there was no proper street lights on the road. I was driving at around 95-100kmph when suddenly I see this water puddle
on the highway and I happened to go through it. As soon I went through that water I completely lost the control on the steering wheel. It just swayed in one direction. But fortunately I somehow could handle that situation . I never felt the same in any other car that I have driven before in rains. Even my dad has faced this problem in this car before. It somehow gets out of hand when run through such waters.
I don't know if the problem is with the tyre or the car itself. one thing to note here is that my car still runs on the Bridgestone potenza 195-65-R15 rubber as they have pretty decent grip. I would really appreciate the expert BHpians to please give their views on this situation and also guide me on the optimal tyre brand and configuration for my car.

Regards NODA

Glad you are safe But...

I am no more experience than my fellow BHPians but if I were driving a 17-year-old car at night when it rains heavily then I will drive very cautiously at speed of not more than 50-60 kmph :)

That’s Good you are safe.

As you said, it was raining heavily and the speeds you have mentioned are good enough for aquaplaning. And being a Lighter vehicle more chances of aquaplaning at that speed. Glad that you regained the control.

When it’s raining heavily, Slow down and Avoid going through the puddle of water. In case accidentally you do, then just hold the steering tight and steady, take foot off the accelerator, don’t slam on the brakes, wait to feel the traction and don’t move the steering in all directions while panicking, it will make the car spin out of control.

Do get your tyres checked for the tread depth, which helps to disperse the water in such conditions, but that’s also possible when your speeds are low.

Many people curse slow drivers for being boring, life is very uncertain at high speeds. 99% of drivers in our country unknowingly drive fast without following any speed limits and rules. Almost all highways have recommended speed limit of 80-100 kmph only. During night times multiply this value by factor of 0.8, safe limit of only 64-80 kmph.
During night rainy multiplication factor should be 0.6 , highway speeds should be in the range of 50-60 kmph. Not more.
In most modern day cars, due to advancements in engine and vehicle refinements there is no sensation of speeding until one hits 120-140 kmph.
Better to be late, rather than never arrive at destination. I am really horrified, that people drive very fast on highways , even when conditions are demanding.