Driving in the Rain: A Few Good Tips

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driving in the rain

Truck driving can wear out even the hardiest hard workers, especially in the rain. When you drive a truck, you work long hours on the highway, hauling heavy loads at high speeds for endless hours. You need endurance, knowledge, and quick thinking abilities. And if you can’t cut it, you’ll pay for it. Miss a deadline and things get hairy. It’s a high skill, high stakes job.

 

Things are even worse in the rain. Rain blurs vision, slicks up the road, and makes everyone uneasy. Rain beats down on truckers. Hard. Truckers, unlike most other motorists, don’t often have the option to just stay in and take it easy when weather gets nasty. According to David Resnick & Associates, auto accident lawyer in NYC, weather is common cause of road accidents. When the going gets tough, truckers keep riding.

 

Here are a few tips to keep yourself safe in the rain.

Careful Driving in the Rain

Safe speeds are crucial in even the best of conditions, but speeding in the rain is an extra dangerous move to make. If it’s raining, slow down. The poor clarity will delay your reaction time, and even if you were to react quickly, the slick roads would delay your truck’s reactions. Slow down.

 

A bad move in the rain will leave—and everyone else on the road—in terrible danger. Remember how deadly a truck accident is. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS HLDI), a big rig can weigh 20–30 times the amount of your typical passenger car. Hitting one of those cars with your truck will have devastating consequences.

Stay Alert Through the Rain

As with speeding, remaining alert is always important, but rainy weather kicks the danger factor up another notch. Rain can make you feel sleepy. That’s why so many people love to relax in the rain, take a nap, and read a book.

 

Stay alert when the rain hits. You’re driving a big, heavy truck. Drink a cup of coffee. Eat a good balanced diet that promotes long lasting, sustainable energy. Listen to the radio. You’ll need stimulation when driving in the rain. Everyone’s needs are different. Find out whatever it is you need to stay awake, then seek that the out that stimulus. And, of course, avoid distracted driving; eating, talking—or god forbid, texting—on the phone, any other distraction, etc. will get into big trouble in short time.

Make Sure Your Rig is in Tip Top Shape

Old tires, weak steering, or any other neglected element that may appear small in other circumstances can become a serious deathtrap in the rain. Every microsecond counts when a large truck is barreling down the highway at seventy five miles per hour. Your truck should always be in good condition, of course, and this applies even more in bad weather.

 

And beyond the simple safety element, you’ll want a tuned up truck in rain for the simple reason that breaking down in a nasty storm will leave out there all alone in, well, a nasty storm. If your truck is prepared, you’ll be prepared.