Driving safely on wet roads
Slow down. If more drivers followed this tip in the rain, accidents would dramatically decrease. Wet weather doesn’t receive the same attention as winter weather driving, but it should. Wet roads present similar dangers – less grip and longer stopping distance, for example.
Here are some tips for driving safely on wet roads:
Make sure your tires offer the proper amount of tread.
Drive with two hands. Always.
Slow down before turning, and maintain a consistent speed throughout the turn.
While turning, don’t make any sudden steering wheel movements.
Only brake in a straight line before the turn, and do so gradually. Be careful if you need to brake during the turn.
Increase your following distance from other cars significantly.
If hydroplaning, do not accelerate or brake suddenly. Keep your foot lightly on the gas and steer the car forward until your tires regain traction.
Avoid sliding
What is it:
Your front or rear tires won't follow in the direction you are steering.
How to regain control:
Gently ease up on the gas pedal and slow down until the car regains traction.
How to avoid it:
Check the air pressure monthly.
Check the tread depth monthly – tires need enough tread to evacuate water.
Driving tip:
Drive slower in rain or on wet roads.
Braking in rain
Oversteer/Understeer:
These terms may be a bit technical, but bear with us. It’s easy and important. When you take turns in both wet and dry conditions (but especially wet), you can easily lose control by oversteering or understeering. Learn what these problems are and how to beat them by watching the video above.
What to do if you slide forward instead of turning
What is it:
Your front tires lose traction and could slide right off the road before your rear tires. This is called understeering. Your car doesn’t follow the turn and slides straight off the road.
How to regain control:
Gently ease up on gas pedal and slow down until your tires regain traction.
How to avoid it:
Check the air pressure monthly.
Check the tread depth monthly.
Avoid spinning out from a turn
What is it:
Your rear tires lose traction before your front tires and you start to spin.
How to regain control:
If you have a front-wheel-drive: turn into the direction in which you are skidding. Remove steering correction as the rear axle begins to regain traction and straighten back up.
If you have a rear-wheel-drive: ease up on the gas pedal and turn away from the skid. Remove steering correction as the rear axle begins to regain traction.
If you have an all-wheel-drive: turn in the same direction that you are skidding and maintain light acceleration. Remove steering correction once the rear axle starts to regain traction.
How to avoid it
Check the air pressure monthly.
Check the tread depth monthly.
Have your tires rotated regularly so that they wear evenly.
If you purchase only 2 new tires, make sure they are placed at the rear of the vehicle.
Driving tip:
Do not turn too sharply.
Avoid hydroplaning
What is it:
The tires slip and do not respond to steering, braking or accelerating. The vehicle can even skid or spin. It occurs when the water between your tires and the road cannot be removed quickly enough. This layer of water builds up in front of the tire until the tire cannot evacuate the water sufficiently. This is when the tire loses contact with the road.
How to regain control:
Don’t hit the brakes suddenly.
Ease off the gas pedal gently until you slow down and regain traction.
How to avoid it:
Check your tire pressure monthly. Tire pressure below 30% of what is recommended greatly increases the risk of hydroplaning.
Check your tread depths monthly on all of your tires.
Reduce your speed when approaching large puddles or standing water.
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FAQ
Read our Frequently Asked Questions.
Slow down: stopping distances on wet pavement can be twice as long as on dry roads
Check your tires: wet grip depends entirely on tread depth—at 4/32" or below, wet braking performance drops sharply
Increase following distance: give yourself at least 4 seconds of buffer instead of the standard 2
Brake in a straight line before turns—not during them
Steer smoothly: abrupt steering inputs on wet roads can cause the tires to lose traction
Be cautious at the start of rain: the first 15–30 minutes of rainfall are often the most dangerous, as water mixes with oil residue on the road surface before washing it away
Hydroplaning (or aquaplaning) occurs when a tire rides on top of a layer of water faster than the tread can expel it, losing contact with the road surface entirely. Steering and braking become ineffective. It typically happens at speeds above 80 km/h in standing water, or with tires that have worn tread unable to channel water away. If you hydroplane: ease off the accelerator gently—don't brake hard or steer abruptly. Keep the wheel straight and allow the tires to slow until they make contact with the road again. Properly inflated tires with adequate tread depth are your best prevention.
Winter tires actually perform reasonably well in wet conditions—their tread designs are engineered for water evacuation as well as snow and ice. However, summer and all-season tires are engineered to outperform winter tires in warm wet conditions because their harder compound provides better handling precision and braking on warm, wet pavement above 7°C. Beyond wet braking, leaving winter tires on in spring and summer accelerates their wear significantly due to the softer compound. For both performance and tire longevity, switching to your summer or all-season set once temperatures consistently exceed 7°C is the right call.
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