Aquaplaning can be caused by heavy rainfall building up on a road’s surface, on top of that, aquaplaning can be made worse by two other important factors – the condition of a vehicle tyres and the speed the vehicle is travelling.
Quality Tyre A good quality branded tyre can handle a fair amount of water when driving in wet conditions, tyres with a low tread will struggle to clear as much water and could in the wrong conditions make the issue worse and allow the layer of water to build up beneath the tyres. Many insurance companies will refuse to pay any form of claim if your car is damaged unless you call a professional car recovery service to tow your vehicle back.
5 Tips how to control an aquaplaning vehicle
If your car starts aquaplaning, follow these 5 tips to help control an aquaplaning vehicle:
Don't hit the brakes hard
Ease off the accelerator
Hold the steering wheel straight
Switch off cruise if you have it on
When the car starts to gain control you can begin to brake to bring your speed down
Once you’ve realised that your car has started to aquaplane it’s important to keep your calm. If you try to do something drastic – like hitting the brakes hard or turning the wheel suddenly you could cause your car to skid or slide into a collision.
It’s important to hold the steering wheel straight and gradually ease your foot off the accelerator. As you slow down you should be able to feel your wheels gaining traction and you’ll get back control. As this point it’s safe to make slow and steady movements of the steering wheel and gently use your brakes.
If your car has a cruise control then it’s a good idea to switch this off while driving in wet conditions, this should be done with the button and not the brakes to avoid issues.
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