WHAT IS HYDROPLANING?

Hydroplaning happens when the tires on your vehicle lose their grip on a road surface and instead travel on a film of water sitting on top of the road. Hydroplaning dramatically reduces a driver’s ability to steer and brake.

WHAT CAUSES HYDROPLANING?

Hydroplaning is caused by a combination of road conditions, vehicle speed, tread depth and vehicle weight. Let’s take a closer look at these four factors.

1. ROAD CONDITIONS

As water depth on a road surface increases to more than 1/10th of an inch, the risk of hydroplaning worsens. The intensity of the rainfall, type of road surface and drainage conditions play a crucial role in triggering conditions ripe for hydroplaning. Essentially, the deeper the standing water, the greater the chance for a vehicle to hydroplane.

2. VEHICLE SPEED

Tires need time to evacuate water between their treads and the road surface. The higher the speed, the less time there is for that to happen. Depending on the tires’ tread depth and design, along with the amount of water on the road, hydroplaning can occur at speeds as low as 35 mph.

3. TREAD DEPTH

Of all the factors that contribute to hydroplaning (or to resisting it), a tire’s tread depth is one of the most critical. Even the best tires on the road offer little resistance to hydroplaning when their tread is worn down to 2/32nd of an inch or less, so it’s vital that worn tires are replaced as soon as possible to ensure safe driving on wet roads.

4. VEHICLE WEIGHT

When you compare two vehicles equipped with the same size and type of tire, the heavier vehicle holds an advantage in resisting hydroplaning because there’s a greater force to displace water from underneath the tire.

HOW DANGEROUS IS HYDROPLANING?

Hydroplaning is one of many serious hazards for drivers. It can result in a motorist losing control of a car and crashing.

Seventy percent of weather-related crashes in the U.S. happen on wet pavement, and 46% occur during rainfall. Worse yet, wet pavement is blamed for 78% of weather-related crash injuries and 76% of weather-related crash deaths.