Spring is in the air and all of us who live in Colorado know what that means… We’ll experience every season in the next couple of months: winter, spring, summer, and fall. We may have a high of 75 with loads of sun on Monday and Tuesday will bring sleet, then snow, then rain.
These undefined weather patterns keep us on our toes, but it’s important that your driving habits remain sharp and steady during these unpredictable spring months, too. Auto accidents are prevalent at this time due to water on the roads, either from rain, hail, or melted snow, and hydroplaning is a real problem.
Drivers are going to start taking off their snow tires and when that happens, we all tend to believe bad weather is in the rearview and we let our guard down, but that’s a bad call. Today we’re going to tell you about hydroplaning accidents in Colorado and how to avoid them.
What Does it Mean to Hydroplane?
When your car hydroplanes it means that your tire has hit too much water for the water to scatter appropriately. When this happens water is pushed under the tire and the tire-to-road connection is lost, separated by a layer of water. This will result in traction, steering, and braking loss. Essentially providing the driver with no control of the vehicle.
When Does Hydroplaning Happen?
Due to all the wet weather we get in Colorado, hydroplaning can happen at almost any time. Even if your drive starts in areas of dry conditions, if you’re traveling up to the mountains you may encounter wet weather, so always be alert.
When the roads get wet and mix with oil, slippery road surfaces are a given. Keep this in mind during and after rainfall, sleet, or hail and in areas of melting snow.
How to Help Prevent Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning can sneak up on you and when it does, it’s pretty terrifying, even if it only lasts a few very long seconds. To help you avoid hydroplaning, here is a list of things to do:
• Drive slowly on wet roads and never use cruise control on wet roads or when it’s raining or snowing
• Don’t brake hard, keep your distance from other cars so you have time to safely brake
• When turning, go slow and steady
• Avoid puddles
• Be sure you have the correct air pressure in your tires so that they can function as they are meant to
• Use the correct tires for the season
• Rotate your tires regularly
• Get new tires when necessary
• Stay in center lanes where you’re less likely to hit standing water
• If you can see tire tracks in front of you, align your car to drive through them
Car accidents will happen no matter what, sometimes accidents are out of our control, even when we follow all the safety rules, be smart and pay attention to weather conditions to help you in your safe driving efforts.
If you’ve been hurt in a car accident of any kind, we can help.
Contact our Northglenn Accident Attorneys
At Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., we understand the pain and frustration that comes with an accident. While they may not compensate you completely, damages may help you get through a difficult recovery time. Call us today to schedule a pressure-free, no-obligation consultation, so you can learn what your legal options are. Proudly serving North Denver, Northglenn, Westminster, Thornton, Commerce City, Arvada, and Broomfield.
