•
Close to the freezing point, the road is icy and may be more
slippery than at colder temperatures.
HYDROPLANING: Slow down when there is a lot of water on
the road. In heavy rain, your tires can lose all contact with the
roadway due to water or “hydroplaning”. A slight change of
direction or a gust of wind can cause your car to skid or spin.
a. If you vehicle starts to hydroplane, slow down gradually by
letting up on the gas.
b. Don’t slam on the brakes.
c. When hydroplaning occurs there is a loss of the traction
needed to steer and brake safely.
d. Stopping distances may be tripled and steering control may
be reduced or lost.
e. Hydroplaning is more common at higher speeds, although
tires can hydroplane under certain conditions at ANY speed.
This is one reason you must always be extremely cautious
when driving in rainy weather.
Skids: “If Your Wheels Don’t Roll - You
Don’t Have Control”
Skids are caused when the tires can no
longer grip the road. Skids are caused by
drivers traveling too fast for conditions. If
your vehicle begins to skid:
a. Stay off the brake. Until the vehicle
slows, your brakes will not work and
could cause you to skid more.
b. Steer.
Turn the steering wheel in the
direction you want your car to go. (For
example: If rear of vehicle is skidding to
the left you want to
steer to the left to
bring the front of the vehicle back “in line”
and straighten the direction of motion.)
c. As soon as the vehicle begins to straighten out, turn the
steering wheel back the other way. If you do not do so,
your vehicle may swing around in the other direction and
you could start a new skid.
d. Continue to steer. Continue to correct your steering, left and
right, until the vehicle is again moving down the road under
your control.
e. The best advice is to do everything you
can to avoid ever skidding in the first
place. Be aware of weather conditions
and slow down well in advance of your
stopping point.
Regaining Control of your Vehicle when
the wheels have gotten off the paved
roadway:
1. Stop feeding the gas. Lift you foot off
the gas pedal but do NOT suddenly
apply the brake.
2. Maintain a firm grip on the steering
wheel, but do NOT jerk the wheel back
toward the pavement suddenly.
3. Brake lightly and briefly. Do NOT slam on the brakes or
hold the brake pedal down. You want to gradually slow the
vehicle.
4. Maintain control of the vehicle. Keep steering the vehicle
straight trying to keep the other wheels from getting off
the pavement.
5. Do NOT attempt to steer back onto the pavement until
there are no cars in your immediate vicinity.
6. Once oncoming traffic is clear and you have slowed the
speed of your vehicle you can turn back onto the
pavement.
Many of Tennessee’s roads and highways are being installed
with Rumble Stripes as part of the repaving project. Rumble
Stripes are a series of indentations where the edge line is
striped overtop the indentations. It has a secondary effect of
the vibration and noise, however, its primary function is to
improve wet-night visibility of the edge line. The indentations
allow water to drain off the markings which improves the
visibility of the line markings especially in wet-night conditions.
Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any
other thunderstorm related hazard. Many of these casualties are
a result of careless or unsuspecting motorists who attempt to
navigate flooded roads. Most people fail to realize the force and
power of water. For example, only six inches of fast-moving-
flood water can knock a person off their feet.
Does a heavy vehicle equal safety in flood situations? NO!
Many drivers believe their 3,000 to 5,000 pound vehicle will
remain in contact with the road surface…that it is too heavy to
float. Think about that for a minute. Aircraft carriers float don’t
they? Vehicles (and ships) float because of buoyancy.
In fact, most cars can be swept away in 18 to 24 inches of
moving water. Trucks and SUVs are not much better with only
an additional six to twelve inches of clearance. In moving water,
all that is needed is for a vehicle to become buoyant enough to
allow the water’s force to push it sideways, even while the
wheels remain in contact with the pavement.
Once swept downstream, a vehicle will often roll to one side or
perhaps flip over entirely. The driver then has only a few
seconds to escape. Many drivers panic as soon as the vehicle
submerges and are found later with their safety belt intact.
The solution is simple.
TURN AROUND, DON’T DROWN
®
.
Stay out of the flooded roadway. The
water may be much deeper than it
appears as the road beds may be
washed out.
76
HIGH WATER AND FLOODING DANGERS
RUMBLE STRIPES