Car accidents are quite common, but with the addition of rain, which limits visibility and makes maneuvering harder due to wet roads, the risk of a vehicular accident is relatively increased. In fact, out of 5,891,000 vehicular accidents per year, about 21% of these accidents are weather-related, and of all these weather-related vehicular accidents, the majority of them happen due to rainfall and wet pavements. In 39 out of 50 states, rain has been observed to cause more vehicular fatalities than snow.
As such, it’s no doubt that heavy rain is something that every driver should watch out for in the road. So let’s take a look at ways for you to avoid being a part of this unfortunate statistic:
Keep Your Car in Good Condition
Before you even hit the road, it’s important that your vehicle is in good shape. Your tires should properly inflated, and you’ll want to make sure that your tire treads aren’t worn out as; remember that wet pavements make it harder for your car to gain friction and to maneuver, and having worn-out tire treads would greatly reduce its traction making it more slippery. You also need to make sure that your car brakes work properly and to check your brake fluids. Your windshield and back window wipers should also be in working condition for you
Slow Down and Use Your Lights
The most effective way to reduce car accidents during the rain is to watch your speed. As mentioned earlier, rain makes roads slippery and also limits your visibility. As such, it’s important that you drive slower and also give enough distance between you and the next vehicle, that way you’d have less risk of slipping and enough time to react if the vehicle in front of you skids or suddenly stops.
Use Your Lights
It’s also important for you to use your lights properly; signal when you’re turning, and use hazard lights to warn other vehicles if you’re in trouble. Your headlights should also be used properly to increase your visibility. If it’s raining too hard and you feel like it’s safer to stop and wait out the storm before driving further, park your car and use your hazard lights and wait until it’s safe to drive.
Focus
It’s important to keep your eyes on the road at all times and always keep your hands on the wheel. So refrain from switching your CDs or the radio station, or dealing with rowdy kids at the backseat. If you need to do something else other than drive. So if the kids are fighting at the backseat, or you wish to take a sip of coffee to warm up or change the radio, it’s best to get to the side of the road and settle the matter before continuing. Bottom line is: be focused on driving, don’t multi-task.
Conclusion
It’s important to take all of these necessary precautions when driving in the rain. In case you get into an accident, it’s important for you to call your auto and health insurance companies to cover the costs. And if you’re a truck driver that gets into an accident during one of your trips to Washington, you can contact a truck labor lawyer to make sure that you get compensation for work-related injuries. But, as always, prevention is better than cure, and it’s best to drive safely and avoid all these accidents during the rainy days.
