Given the almost daily deluge of rain we have been experiencing, hydroplaning is a very real problem for which all drivers must be prepared. Hydroplaning occurs when the vehicle’s tire-to-road traction becomes separated by water. This grip separation results in a loss of control (braking and steering), which can result in a violent accident. While hydroplaning can happen on any wet road surface, tire tread, tire inflation and speed are the key factors in causing hydroplaning to occur. According to the American Automobile Association, “when driving through just one-twelfth of an inch of water, each of your tires has to displace one gallon of water per second.” So, when the road surface is wet, you need to choose an appropriate speed that will displace enough road surface water, that allows your vehicle to maintain proper traction. “At 30 mph or less, properly inflated tires with good tread will maintain contact.” While low tire pressure causes the tread to “squeeze together, narrowing the tread channels and reduces the tire’s ability to wipe or channel away water,” even with good tread and properly inflated tires, a vehicle can begin to hydroplane at speeds above 35 mph. Below are six tips every driver should remember when driving on a wet surface. Avoid driving in the outer edges of a roadway. Most roadways have a slight “crown” in the middle of the road which causes water to accumulate on the edge of the roadway. Try to stay more toward the middle of […]
Resources
Category: Reckless Driving
By Jonathan Russell of Drake, Hileman & Davis, P.C. posted inReckless Driving on Wednesday, January 2, 2013. You have to wonder how a 22 year-old Albrightsville, Pennsylvania driver missed all the clues. All the road signs facing the wrong way. Being on the left side of the highway instead of the right. Those “Wrong Way” signs on the entrance ramp. All those cars coming at you honking their horns and flashing their lights. If the woman noticed, she didn’t seem to care. Pennsylvania State Police say she drove 18 miles at high speed, from Dickinson City to Laflin, on the wrong side of Interstate 81. Fortunately her reckless driving didn’t injure anyone. Troopers got a number of calls about a car racing south in the northbound lane early New Year’s Day morning. Responding officers wisely remained in the proper lane and tried to get the wrong-way driver’s attention with their emergency lights and spotlights, but the motorist rolled blithely along, apparently not seeing the squad cars or not caring. Troopers then zipped ahead to a highway turn-around and surrounded her with a rolling roadblock that quickly brought the dangerous adventure to an end. Authorities arrested the driver for drunk driving and reckless endangerment. A passenger in her car was not charged. In a statement, the State Police noted how fortunate it was that few people were on the interstate at 5:30 AM. “It’s a miracle that the operator and her passenger, or any motorist were not killed or injured severely […]
