Drivers often come across certain situations where instincts help them avoid potential accidents. Such situations are often caused by hydroplaning, i.e. tyres skidding on wet roads. It is a dangerous driving condition that you must be aware of. Hydroplaning mostly occurs on damp roads. However, other factors also add up to the cause.
This guide explains what hydroplaning is, the reasons behind it and how to prevent car accidents due to this phenomenon.
What is Hydroplaning?
Hydroplaning is also commonly known as ‘aqua-planing’. It refers to the sliding and skidding of the car tyres when moving on a wet surface. Hydroplaning drastically reduces a driver’s ability to brake or steer in the right direction. This happens because the car tyres lose contact with the road surface.
When Does Hydoplaning Occur?
You can understand the phenomenon of hydroplaning by considering the tyre grooves as mini aqueducts. These aqueducts pump away water from the tyre’s surface, where it makes contact with the road at a pace dependent on the vehicle’s speed. As the vehicle’s speed increases, the wet traction is reduced proportionally.
Hydroplaning occurs when the tyres cannot disperse water quickly enough, resulting in thinning of the contact surface. As a result, the tyres now ride over the water surface instead of on the road, just like a person skiing on the water surface. That is the point where you feel the sudden loss of feedback from the car, also described as hydroplaning.
What are the Causes of Hydroplaning?
Hydroplaning is caused by multiple factors, including vehicle speed, road conditions, and many others. Let’s take a look at all these factors in detail.
Road Conditions
The severity of hydroplaning increases as the water depth on a road’s surface increases to more than 0.1 inches. As road conditions worsen due to the type of road surface, poor drainage conditions, and the intensity of the rainfall, the chances of hydroplaning increase exponentially. All in all, the deeper the water level, the greater the chances of hydroplaning.
Tread Depth
A tyre’s tread depth is a critical factor that contributes to hydroplaning. You can always check the tyre tread depth with the coin method. While worn tyres are more susceptible to hydroplaning, sometimes even the best tyres offer little resistance to it. To prepare your car for the rain, one of the important steps is to replace worn tyres.
Tyre Size
Tyre size plays a crucial role in hydroplaning. The wider the tyre size relative to its length, the more will be the available contact surface area. In such a condition, the speed required for a car to hydroplane will also increase. Whereas, in an opposite situation, tyres with less width are more prone to hydroplane at lower speeds.
Vehicle Speed
As discussed above, tyres need some time to pump water away from the surface. When a car moves at a greater speed on a wet road, the time required to disperse water by the tyres lessens. This, in turn, increases the chances of hydroplaning.
The tyre’s tread depth and design play an important role in preventing hydroplaning. On the other hand, these features, along with the water level on the road. People usually ask at what speed hydroplaning occurs, just so you know a car can hydroplane at even a minimum speed of 50 km/h. That said, make sure you drive within the speed limits set by the UAE traffic law to avoid penalties.
Vehicle Weight
Heavy vehicles hold an advantage over lighter vehicles when it comes to resisting hydroplaning. This is because heavy vehicles displace water from under the tyres at a greater force. While on the opposite hand, light vehicles require more force to displace water and have more chances to hydroplane.
How to Prevent Hydroplaning
It may seem like it is not much you can do to prevent hydroplaning as it might happen due to one factor or another. Here are some tips to prevent hydroplaning, when travelling in poor weather conditions.
- Reduce your speed if the roads are wet. Usually, reducing your speed by 10 to 15 km/h or more can help prevent hydroplaning.
- When roads are wet, avoid using car cruise control. Use manual controls to steer your vehicle while paying attention to the road.
- Avoid driving over puddles or stagnant water.
- If you experience even the slightest car sliding, steer in the same direction instead of the opposite one. You may be inclined to drive in the opposite direction, but that’s not a wise move.
- Use the coin method to inspect your tyre’s tread depth. If the entire coffee pot ‘Dallah’ is visible on the one dirham coin when you insert it in the tyre’s major thread, it indicates immediate tyre replacement.
- Trace the tracks made by the leading vehicle. Such tracks mean the water in those spots has already been dispersed. Hence, your car will require minimum effort to prevent hydroplaning.
- Check your tyre pressure with a tyre pressure monitoring system and maintain the optimal pressure in them. Over or under-inflated tyres can increase the chances of hydroplaning.
- As tyres wear out due to friction with the ground, it is necessary that you get your tyres rotated and wheels aligned timely. Many tyre experts recommend getting the car tyres rotated every 5,000 to 10,000 km. While the wheel alignment must be checked every 10,000 km. This helps to decrease tread wear.
What to Do If My Car is Hydroplaning?
Despite all the preventive steps, if your car still begins to hydroplane, you must follow the tips discussed below.
- First of all, you must not panic. Doing so will only worsen the situation.
- Instead of braking abruptly, let your vehicle slow down by removing your foot from the accelerator. As all modern cars have an anti-lock braking system – ABS, you can try applying the brakes lightly to regain traction.
- Also, try to hold the steering wheel steadily. If you continue to move the steering wheel one way or another while the car hydroplanes, you might lose further traction. This way your car can go out of control very quickly.
- With poor road conditions, other motorists might be dealing with hydroplaning as well. In such situations, try to maintain a safe following distance from other vehicles.
- If you witness a car hydroplaning and you still have control over your vehicle, try to pull off from the road completely rather than stop on one side.
That is all about hydroplaning, its causes and preventive tips. Avoiding hydroplaning is not that difficult if you are aware of how to overcome it. The measures discussed above are sufficient to help you lower the chances of losing control over your vehicle. That said if you are buying any used car for sale in the UAE, make sure to check that it is properly maintained.
Stay tuned to the UAE’s leading auto blog for more tips on driving.
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