Tires matter. Your tires must have sufficient tread. Tire tread is designed to channel water away from the space between the tire and the road. Sufficient tire tread enables the tire to grip the road properly and allows you to maintain control of your vehicle. If you have “bald tires,” or insufficient tread, the tire will ride on water rather than on pavement. We know this as hydroplaning, and it will cause you to lose control of your car. It is well know that the faster you are traveling, the more likely you are to hydroplane.
Windshield wipers matter. You cannot see where you are going if your wipers will not remove excess water from your windshield. Windshield wipers are not very expensive, and most do it yourself auto parts stores will help you install new wipers for no charge.
Do not use cruise control in the rain. Cruise control is designed so that your vehicle maintains a certain speed without using the gas pedal. On most vehicles, cruise control works by ensuring that your tires continue to spin at a chosen speed. When the roads are wet, one or more tires may contact a puddle of water, and this puddle of water may cause the tire to hydroplane or to stop spinning at the same speed. When this happens, your vehicle slows down. When your vehicle slows down, the cruise control engages and the vehicle accelerates in an effort to return the vehicle to the chosen speed. You now have a vehicle that is hydroplaning or slowing due to water on the pavement, and a cruise control system that is causing the vehicle to accelerate. You are out of control because instead of continuing to slow down due to contact with water, you are accelerating. In short, do not use cruise control in the rain, or when there is water build up on the street.
