Summer Rains
If April showers bring May flowers, then those summer rains are quite a pain. If only I were a poet…a sober poet. But who’s ever heard of a sober poet? What’s the fun in poetry if you can’t attempt to rhyme words like “sobriety” with “dude, where’d I leave my car?”
Even a drunk poet knows that those summer rains are far and few between. So, oils and other fluids left on roadways usually cause slick conditions when rain is mixed onto the pavement. You should keep a safe following distance between you and the car ahead of you. A six second rule is recommended in rain. To implement this rule, once the car in front of you has passed a stationary object, you should count six seconds before you pass that same stationary object.
Turn on your headlights when it begins to rain. And drive below the posted speed limit. If you start to hydroplane, whatever you do, don’t slam on the brakes. You can hydroplane at speeds as low as 30 mph. Which is hard to believe since, when you are driving that slow, you feel like you’re in reverse. Some people panic when they begin to hydroplane and their initial reaction is to slam on the brakes. Which is not cool, because if you’re on top of the water, it’s not going to do a thing. And, if the roads are slick and you’re traveling at freeway speed, then you slam on the brakes, you could fishtail and lose control. The best thing to do if you begin to hydroplane is to release the gas pedal. Just take your foot off of the gas and let the car slow down on its own, naturally.
Another thing to note is to avoid flooded areas at all costs. Water level is very deceiving. Your car could stall out in deep enough water and be lifted off of the road in only three inches of water.
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Those Summer Rains – Comedy Defensive Driving