FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Wet roads can be treacherous, especially as we go through another storm.
Before you head out the door, AAA says you should first assess your personal risk of driving on wet streets.
“If it’s raining a lot or if weather is really bad or you feel like maybe this is something you shouldn’t be doing, then don’t unless you really have to go out,” AAA Northern CA spokesperson, John Treanor said.
If you have to drive in the rain, turn on your headlights, give yourself extra time to get to your destination, lower your speed and:
“Increase the distance between you and the car in front of you in case they brake suddenly, you don’t have to jam on your brakes,” Treanor said. “If you see someone getting into an incident ahead of you, try to not slam on the brakes and steer around the incident.”
Slamming on your brakes could cause you to hydroplane.
If you start hydroplaning, AAA says the number one thing not to do is panic.
“When you panic, your first instinct is ‘I’m moving where I don’t want to be I need to slam on the brake.’ That can make it a worse situation,” Treanor explained. “You want to keep steering in the direction you want your car to go. Keep calm and refrain from slamming on the brake, which could cause that hydroplane to get even worse.”
Puddling on streets may be an issue on your drive. It can become difficult to see how deep the water is and you risk damaging your car.
“You can’t always see what’s on the roadway ahead of you. we may have a road that got saturated or maybe underneath the road was worn away so what looks like just a puddle of water, you don’t know what’s on the bottom of that,” Fresno County Emergency Manager, Terri Mejorado said.
Fresno County Office of Emergency Services is asking residents to report any danger on the roadway like puddles or downed trees to the county, but if your life or others’ lives are in danger, call 911.
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