It has been pouring rain for weeks and this is not only visible in the flooded streets and cellars, but also on the road. If you drive fast in this weather, you run the risk of skidding and losing control. To find out what you should and should not do in such a situation, a reporter from Omroep Brabant put it to the test.
At the Leeuw training center in Eindhoven he gets into the car and drives onto a soaking wet track with an instructor. “If the road is so wet, you run a greater risk of aquaplaning,” explains instructor Wim Smetsers. “Normally your tire makes contact with the road surface, but when it rains, a thin layer of water forms between it. Then your tire will, as it were, float on the water and as soon as you brake or steer, you will no longer come to a stop.”
Meanwhile, reporter Jan Waalen drives his car over the wet asphalt. This track is specially made for practicing skidding. The track has been made extra slippery and wet. You only have to drive 40 kilometers per hour to experience what it is like to lose control of your car on the highway.
And Jan notices this, because as soon as he brakes, the car starts to skid. “While I’m fully on the brakes, the car continues to slide for dozens of meters,” Jan says afterwards. “It is very unpleasant to want to stop and then feel that the car has no grip.” Putting on the brakes if you feel that your car is going to skid is something you should definitely not do, the instructor explains.
To be able to continue your journey safely, he has the following tips:
1. Release your accelerator and press the clutch. Do not brake, because you will lose control of the steering wheel. Wait until you have grip again and when you do, apply the brakes.
2. Try not to steer. The more you steer, the greater the chance that you will spin and then it will be almost impossible to save it.
3. Make sure you are well prepared. The tread of your tires must be deep enough and ensure sufficient tire pressure.
4. And drive more slowly and controlled when the road is very wet.
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