How to Avoid Problems on the Highway from Heavy Storms

With all the severe storms Kansas is experiencing, people of Wichita, Derby, Andover and Goddard are sometimes forced to brave the heavy rain to head to work or pick up the kids from school. When this happens, it’s important to drive with the utmost caution.

While on the roads during heavy rain, not only are you at risk for things such as hydroplaning, but your reaction time and sight will be decreased. Here are a few tips for driving in heavy rain on Kansas highways.

Be aware of hydroplaning – Hydroplaning is when your tires ride above the pavement, on the water on top. This causes a loss of traction and decrease of control. Hydroplaning is more likely to happen if your tires aren’t inflated correctly or if you’re driving at a high rate of speed.
Avoid deep standing water – Never drive through deep water, especially if you can’t tell just how deep it is. Not only does high water cause vehicles to stall, but if it’s deep enough, it could cause your car to drift without any control. Always take an alternative route.
Check your brakes – Passing through water can result in water saturating the brakes, which causes a decrease in function. Pump your brakes lightly to dry them out.
Follow other cars farther away – Bad weather causes bad visibility. In addition, the likelihood that the car in front of you may do something drastic increases during bad weather. Allow enough distance to respond if someone in front of you hits the brakes.
Use low beam headlights – The daytime running lights aren’t enough during bad weather, so make sure you turn on your headlights. Always use your low headlight setting because using high beam headlights actually causes a glare in the rain, which also decreases visibility.
Use signals well in advance – Be aware of the other drivers on the road. Using turn signals well in advance helps the cars behind you anticipate what you intend to do.
Pull over if necessary – It’s simple, if it’s too bad to drive – don’t. If you cannot see well enough to drive, pull over on the shoulder, as far away from traffic as possible. Keep your headlights and emergency flashers on.

Most importantly, slow down. Don’t leave the house during bad weather if at all possible. If you are in a wreck due to bad weather, it’s important to talk to your Wichita personal injury attorney to discuss your best interests.

At Ray Hodge & Associates, we believe in personal injury handled personally. At our office you see a lawyer from the very first meeting because we believe your case deserves an experienced personal injury attorney right from the start.

If you have had a Kansas car wreck injury that was not your fault and need medical treatment, you need an experienced professional who can help you get back on the road to recovery. Call us today at 316-269-1414 or visit our contact page here. Our Kansas personal injury attorneys will provide you a free initial consultation and if we take your case you don’t pay a dime unless we recover money for you. Even then we only take a percentage of the total amount of your recovery.

If you have questions on what you should be looking for when you are making a decision to hire a Kansas personal injury lawyer, read our article located here.

Make sure you download our free car accident app for iPhone or Droid to protect yourself in event of an auto accident.

Ray Hodge & Associates proudly represents victims and their families across the state of Kansas, including Wichita, Andover, Derby, Goddard, Haysville, Mulvane, Rose Hill, Newton, El Dorado and Hutchinson. Call today for a free consultation all over the state of Kansas. We have proudly served clients in Sedgwick, Butler, Sumner, Harvey, Kingman and Reno Counties.