How not to crash in the rain
Asphalt flooded with water is dangerous in much the same way as an icy road. For safe driving on it, you need to follow a few recommendations.
Even in light rain at a speed of 80 km / h, with a water film thickness of only 1 mm on the asphalt, the grip of a new tire with the road deteriorates by about two times, and during a downpour - more than five times. A worn tread has even worse grip. The beginning of rain is especially dangerous, when its jets have not yet had time to wash slippery microparticles of rubber, oils and dust from the asphalt.
Usually, the first in the standard list of tips for safe driving is to keep the speed limit. On the one hand, this is correct: safe speed on wet roads depends on many factors, which can only be taken into account correctly by accumulated driving experience. The quality and type of the roadway, the thickness of the water film, the type of machine and its drive, etc. Everything influences the choice of safe speed.
But no speed limit will save, for example, from aquaplaning, if the car owner does not bother to purchase summer tires with a pattern that effectively removes water from the contact patch of the wheel with asphalt. Therefore, even at the stage of buying new tires, you should pay attention to models with an asymmetric pattern and wide longitudinal drainage channels. At the same time, it is good if the rubber mixture of such a wheel contains polymers and silicon compounds - the latter are for some reason referred to as “silica” in advertising booklets.
Of course, you should also monitor the level of tread wear. The current technical regulation in Russia “On the safety of wheeled vehicles” states that the car does not have the right to drive on public roads if the tread depth of its wheels is less than 1,6 mm. However, numerous studies of tire manufacturers show that in order to effectively drain water from the contact patch in summer, at least 4-5 millimeters of residual tread depth are needed.
Few drivers are aware that even the wrong amount of pressure to the wheels can lead to loss of control and an accident. When the tire is slightly flat, the traction at the center of the tread drops sharply. If the wheel is overinflated above the norm, then its shoulder zones stop normally clinging to the road.
In conclusion, it is impossible not to recall that in rainy weather, as well as on an icy road, any sudden “body movements” are categorically not recommended - be it turning the steering wheel, pressing or releasing the gas pedal, or braking “to the floor”. On wet roads, such frills can lead to uncontrolled skidding, slipping of the front wheels and, ultimately, an accident. On slippery surfaces, the driver must do everything smoothly and in advance.
