• Home
  • About Evelyn Kanter
  • Evelyn Kanter’s Books & Apps
  • Evelyn Kanter In The News
  • Workshops
  • NYC Travel Guru

Evelyn Kanter ecoXplorer

green living, smart spending

  • Green Hotels
  • Green Cars
    • Best Cars under $20,000
    • Test Drives
    • Diesel Cars
    • Electric Cars
    • Hybrid Cars
    • Hydrogen Fuel Cell
    • Luxury Drives
  • Travel Deals
    • Free
    • Budget Travel
    • Discount Tickets
  • Xplore More
    • Safety and Health
    • How To
    • Five Best
    • Travel Pioneers
    • Motorcycles
    • Vintage Cars
  • Scam Alert
  • Where to Go Next
    • Historic Travel
    • Epic Adventures
    • National Parks
Home » Safe Driving Tips for Rain & Hurricanes

Safe Driving Tips for Rain & Hurricanes

Leave a Comment

hurricane season driving safety

Hurricane season brings battering winds, torrential rains and potentially dangerous wet and flooded roads, as do heavy rainstorms.

These safe driving tips for rain and hurricane season could save a life – yours, a passenger, pedestrian or those in another vehicle.

Brake earlier and with less force than you would normally

This does more than simply increase the stopping distance between you and the car in front of you. It also lets the driver behind you know you’re slowing down.

Be more meticulous about using turn signals

That will help other drivers know your intentions.

If your vehicle is equipped with a lane departure warning system, it may not work when the road is well-covered with water.

Slow down

Slow down and allow yourself enough space so you can stop safely.  And take turns and curves with less speed than you would in dry conditions.

Beware of puddles and flooded areas

Avoid large puddles, which can be deeper than they look. After you cross a puddle, tap your brake pedal lightly to dry off some of the water on your rotors.

Beware also of flooded areas, which also can be deeper than they look.

Modern vehicles are full of electronic controls, including for safety systems such as airbags.  Flooding your car could cause those systems to short out.


SEE ALSO

How to avoid buying a flood-damaged vehicle

Have a go-bag ready for emergencies

How to prepare for a hurricane or other emergency


Avoid using cruise control

If you hydroplane, there’s the chance your car could actually accelerate.

Cruise control also allows drivers to be less vigilant and to take their foot away from the pedals, which is not a great idea when reaction time is so important.

If you start to hydroplane, do not brake suddenly or turn the wheel, or you might spin into a skid. Release the gas pedal slowly and steer straight until the car regains traction.

Pay special attention to pedestrians

Keep a sharp lookout for people, because even the most observant pedestrian may become distracted by fiddling with an umbrella or a rain slicker, especially in windy conditions.

Plus, raindrops deaden sound, so the usual audio clues pedestrians use for measuring vehicle distances can become obscured.

hurricane driving safety

Put headlights on low beam

Even if you have daylight running lights, low beam will allow you to be see more easily in daylight.

If it’s raining after dark, low beam will create less glare, also allowing other vehicles to see you more easily.

Do not put on your high beams, which can scatter light and bounce it off rain and fog droplets, further decreasing your visibility while also blinding oncoming motorists.

Avoid fogged windows

To avoid fogged windows inside your car during heavy rainfalls, run the heat and air-conditioning simultaneously.

Wear your polarized sunglasses

Experts say that lightly tinted glasses can sometimes improve visual acuity during extreme conditions.  Try it.  If it doesn’t work for you, remove them.

Use your emergency flashers

If you choose to stop driving and wait out a downpour, put on your emergency flashers when you’ve pulled safely off the road.

These safe driving tips for hurricane season are from my go-to automotive resource, Edmunds.com.

This driving safety article was published first in 2015 and has been updated regularly, including for 2022.

Thanks for visiting ecoXplorer. Stay up to date with the latest news about green travel, green cars, smart spending and frugal living by subscribing. It's free. RSS feed.
Welcome back to exoXplorer. Stay up to date with the latest news about green travel, green cars and smart spending by subscribing. It's free. RSS feed.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Related Posts:

  • How to Avoid Buying a Flood Damaged Car
  • How to Help Victims of Hurricane Dorian
  • 2023 Toyota Crown Hybrid Sedan
  • How to Help Victims of Hurricanes Irma & Maria
  • 24 Best Historic Golf Courses in USA
  • Driving Safety Tips for Snow and Ice

Filed Under: How To, Safety and Health Tagged With: Driving safety, emergency go-bag, Hurricane Fiona, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Maria, HurricaneJoaquin

What do you think? We value your comments and love hearing from you. Cancel reply

ecoXplorer is your guide to smart spending and eco-friendly living

Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and guidebook and smartphone app author – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.

Evelyn Kanter currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA), and is a past Board Member of a prestigious professional group for travel journalists.

Evelyn Kanter is Editor of SeniorsSkiing, which focuses on the 50+ outdoor enthusiast.

Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com or evelyn@evelynkanter.com.

Most Popular Recent Posts

  • Scam Alert: Kars4Kids Car Donation Charity
    Scam Alert: Kars4Kids Car Donation Charity
  • Fast Food Deals & New Menu Items in June, July
    Fast Food Deals & New Menu Items in June, July
  • 2 Reasons to Avoid Jimmy John's
    2 Reasons to Avoid Jimmy John's
  • Scam Alert: Mideast Peace Charities
    Scam Alert: Mideast Peace Charities
  • NYC Culture Calendar for June & July
    NYC Culture Calendar for June & July
  • Where to Eat in Times Square & Theater District at Local Restaurants Not National Chains
    Where to Eat in Times Square & Theater District at Local Restaurants Not National Chains
  • Hands-Free Autonomous Driving in an Acura TLX
    Hands-Free Autonomous Driving in an Acura TLX
  • 16 Ways to Recycle Old Pantyhose
    16 Ways to Recycle Old Pantyhose
  • Get Your Photo on a U-Haul truck
    Get Your Photo on a U-Haul truck
  • Lamborghini Stretch Limousine for Rent
    Lamborghini Stretch Limousine for Rent

Search ecoXplorer by category

© 2010-2023 EcoXplorer by Evelyn Kanter. All articles and photos are protected by US (C) Copyright laws. Any unauthorized copying is strictly prohibited. Plus, it’s just not nice.

  • Home
  • About Evelyn Kanter
  • Evelyn Kanter’s Books & Apps
  • Evelyn Kanter In The News
  • Workshops
  • NYC Travel Guru

ecoXplorer.com is an independent information service which is compensated by advertisers and sponsors. This site includes some links to other websites which are compensated for by our sponsors when you click them.

 

Loading Comments...