Tips For Driving During Heavy Rains
Rainy season in Central Florida means a lot of heavy precipitation. Similar to how navigating other types of weather like snow and ice is an essential skill for drivers who live in colder climates, driving carefully in severe thunderstorms is a skill that is absolutely critical for Floridian motorists. As a Florida car accident law firm with decades of experience, BCN Law Firm has seen too many unfortunately preventable car crashes resulting from drivers who weren’t careful enough when driving in heavy rain. While turbulent weather may be a compounding factor when a collision occurs, it doesn’t take away the fault of drivers who don’t operate their vehicles with the amount of care that they should be using during a rainstorm. Read on to learn more about how to stay careful while driving during heavy rains.
Reasonable Care In Florida
Florida motorists owe a certain amount of what is known as “reasonable care” to their passengers, pedestrians, other motorists, and anybody else they’re sharing the road with. There is an expectation for drivers to take the necessary precautions when driving so that they’re driving safely under all road conditions. Reasonable care is expected with any vehicle or person within the driver’s foreseeable zone of danger. Driving at a reasonable speed for the amount of traffic that is on the road is a fundamental tenet of reasonable care, along with adjusting speed and driving behavior according to what the weather conditions are. A driver caught in a sudden rainstorm may be driving at the speed limit, but they may still be driving negligently since the rainstorm significantly reduces visibility and raises the potential to slide and skid.
Tips For Driving In The Rain
Here are some tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to optimize driving in the rain:
- Make sure to drive slowly: It’s harder to control or stop a vehicle if the road is wet, which is why you should increase your following distance accordingly in order to give yourself more time to react in a safe manner if the vehicles driving ahead of you suddenly slow down or stop. Be aware of how your car moves on slippery roads.
- Avoid rushing water: It can take only a foot of rushing water to sweep away a small car. Two feet of water can carry away the majority of larger vehicles and trucks! Don’t risk the road if it’s flooded; wait out the storm.
- Be extra aware: This may seem obvious, but in a sudden downpour drivers need to be hyper vigilant, especially when it comes to watching for cyclists and pedestrians. Road conditions can make it difficult to spot other vehicles or people crossing the street.
- Make sure your vehicle is running properly: Unfortunately, many car crashes happen due to drivers not properly maintaining their vehicles. Bald tires and worn windshield wipers can compound reckless driving under normal conditions and are especially dangerous in the event of a sudden downpour since they can make it harder to control your vehicle on slippery roads and reduce your line of vision.
- Check the weather: Florida is known for sudden rain storms that come and go quickly. If you think that the weather is too bad to drive in, wait it out. It may be inconvenient to delay plans and we’re all busy, but it’s better safe than sorry. Getting into an accident due to bad road conditions will delay your plans even more.
Contact Us Today
Driving in a rainstorm requires extra vigilance and caution. BCN Law Firm is a top Florida auto accident law firm. If you or a loved one was the victim of a recent car crash, call BCN Law Firm to speak with an experienced car accident attorney today.
