Safer Driving This Monsoon With these Driving Techniques

Thinking about travelling in monsoon, a certain amount of issues such as water logging, aquaplaning etc. Could render you into dire situations. As a traveller its always important to be wary of such situations and preplan. To help our subscribers and readers we would try to enlist a few driving techniques and checks and balances following which you can easily drive around in monsoon without any issues or problems.

Monsoon brings a new shade of life to the shrubbery and greenery around, so many travellers choose to plan their vacations and retreats during monsoon. With our instructions to stay safe while driving in monsoon, you will be able to travel stress-free without any issues or problems. So, travel around and witness the world in its most beautiful and vivid shades with safe driving techniques.

Why Driving in Monsoon Could Be Fatal?

The presence of rain, sleet as well as fuel residuals leaving the exhaust pipes often accumulate upon roads and when drainage systems fail a seemingly innocuous film of water covers asphalt. As such if a vehicle is driving at higher speeds it's possible that it might lose traction and end up slipping.

Aquaplaning-  The accumulation of a film of water between the tyres and the asphalt is what leads to such issues. In such situations, if the vehicle is carrying excessive speeds, the probability of losing traction is way higher than at normal speeds. So driving at moderate speeds, especially on roads that are new to you, might be the best possible solution to which you can easily adapt.

Water logging – In certain conditions under heavy rainfall, it is possible that the roads might get waterlogged, it's possible that this happens when drainage systems fail. In Most cases, such situations arise in underpasses and tunnels. In such cases, drivers make the mistake of judging the depth of water logging and end up being in the middle of the water logging by the time they realize it. The depth of water is what makes waterlogging dangerous, as a driver is completely unaware of the depth of the standing water and the kind of road surface on which the water might be collected.

Incomplete Civic Work

Due to the increasing construction work that goes around, it is inevitable that even during the monsoon, certain civic development works might be in process. In certain circumstances, the work might be halted and the construction sites might be left as they are as the rains pour down. As a driver, it is important to be wary of such situations while driving in the rain as even if there is no Aquaplaning, it's possible that the overall parking might take more time than it usually does, so drive slow. In case you plan to travel to a place where you might not have the necessary information about the roads it is better to drive slowly throughout, in case of water logging try to see the cars passing before you and keep a distance, such an act would help you realize what kind of a trajectory you need to follow while wading through standing waters.

Here are a few checks and precautions that would help you drive safely in Monsoons

Check your tyre pressure Accordingly

In case you are planning a long trip during the Monsoon season its essential to ensure that you reduce the air pressure in your tyres to ensure that their contact with the road increases when under the weight of the car. While letting the air out ensure that the air pressure does not get too low. Otherwise you might face an unbalanced ride. Ensure that all four wheels have similar tyre pressure; otherwise, the car might inherently feel unbalanced. While adjusting the tyre pressure, always use a digital or analogue meter as it allows you to balance the tyres in the right manner. Once you are beyond wet plains its essential to raise the tyres back to their normal pressure for better performance. If heavy rains start spontaneously and you don’t get a chance to adjust your tyres, it would be fine if you slowed down your speeds and proceeded with your drive.

Adapt your speed as per the road conditions

As we have prescribed earlier, slowing down and adapting your speed according to the road quality and vehicle momentum would help while driving during torrential rains. If you ever attend to a water log, it's vital that you try to gauge its depth before heading into the waters, as it would help you stay safe and secure.

Switch off the Cruise Control Mode

 If you are travelling long distances and fear aquaplaning, it's essential that you switch off cruise control. Switching off cruise control would give you more control over the vehicle's speed, and you would be able to modulate the speed as necessary while driving.  It's utmost imperative that if you have cruise control on, you switch it off and control the speed as well as the direction of the vehicle manually.

Several vehicles these days come equipped with ESP, ABS, and Traction control systems. keep them switched on to keep the car stable while travelling, and they would also help you in case of traction loss. Certain cars also come with a wet mode, which has been specifically designed for driving in the rain, and hence, these should be used as and when necessary.

Try and look as far ahead while driving as possible

It's possible that while driving, you get a little short-sighted. While this might be fine while driving within the city limits, when driving on highways with high rainfall, it is important to be as far-sighted as possible to ensure that if you see any changes in the surface of the roads, you can adapt easily. Further, if you see any hazards or road mishaps, you can act accordingly and save your vehicle from collision.

Necessary Reactions in case the vehicle is

 Here is the necessary reaction you should have if your vehicle faces attraction loss while driving; here is what you are supposed to do in the case of different types of drivetrains. These reactions could help you save yourself from bog collisions and damage in certain situations, but being safe and driving slowly when it rains should be your no 1 priority.

In case your car is Front Wheel Drive

If your vehicle is Front-Wheel Drive and you experience a skid, you can stabilize your vehicle or at least correct the skid. So, in case of a skid, steer in the opposite direction than the direction of the skid and decelerate to help the vehicle escape any collision or skid. In most cases, if executed in the right manner, the manoeuvre would help you regain control of the vehicle and also slow down a bit.

Rear Wheel Drive

If your vehicle is RWD, accelerate and steer in the opposite direction of the skid to ensure that the car returns to its normal position. In most cases, saloon cars or heavy-duty pickups have such a setup. Most commercial cars in India are FWD, and hence, you should do the above-mentioned manoeuvre.

4 Wheel Drive

In most cases, SUVs and heavy-duty vehicles have such a drivetrain setup up, and hence, it's important to ensure that in case your 4WD vehicle undergoes a skid, try and steer the vehicle in the direction of the Skid. After you regain traction, steer the other way around, and you would be able to straighten your vehicle out. This is not a foolproof way of keeping your car safe, modulating the speed, braking and steering according to the circumstances would keep you secure.

Braking on wet roads

When the roads are wet brakes don’t work at the same speed you might be used to while driving the vehicle normally under normal conditions. Hence while braking its essential to ensure that you don’t brake hard and excessively while driving. In case of hard braking car might spin or lose traction while driving. Always maintain at least a car length between yourself and another vehicle.

Try and slow down by taking your foot of the accelerator rather than using the brake, when necessary try and brake as gently as possible and keep the car in lane.

Maintenance requirements in monsoon

Get Headlight cracks taken care of

Visibility takes a big hit during monsoon drives, and if your car has been in a collision or any other kind of accident leading to cracks in the headlight, it's imperative that you take care of these before the monsoon arrives in full swing. Failure to do so can lead to condensation buildup in the headlights, further degrading the throw of the headlights.

Beyond that, such a collection of condensation can lead to issues in electrical connectors and wires and may lead to short circuits, so taking care of all of these issues is necessary. If the headlights have lost their luster over time, using special cleaning agents and rubbing compounds might be of great help and support.

Keeping corrosion away from the car’s body

With the influx of time, most cars nowadays have a monocoque chassis, and hence, it's important to ensure that the body of the car is completely rust-free. Getting anticorrosion treatment would help protect the vehicle and the chassis underneath from such issues. If possible, you can go for Antirust Spray or coating, or you can get a wax coating done.

Taking care of the Battery Terminals

Any kind of corrosion on the battery terminals can interrupt the current flow throughout the vehicle and hence whenever possible apply some anti-corrosion grease to protect it from rust.

Wiper Blades

In most cases, the harsh sunrays cars experience during the summer season damage the rubber quality of the wipers. Hence, it's important to ensure that these are either changed or repaired before the monsoon. You can easily buy new wipers over the internet or ask your car maintenance provider to provide you with new ones.

Using the proper wiper fluid additive would also help in keeping the state of the windshield as well as the wipers in a good state. Filling up the water reservoir to the brim is another good way to ensure that your windshield remains clear and provides you with good visibility no matter what the weather might be like.

Checking the quality of the Tyres

In case the tires on your car are left with limited threads changing them before the Monsoon season arrives would be the best possible option. As bald tyres are often more susceptible to slipping and damaging the vehicle. These also impact the braking performance of the vehicle hence changing them would be the best option.

All tyres come with a wear indicator past that the tyre has to change immediately; check the wear indicator on your tyres as well; if you can't find a wear indicator, you can always use a penny to find out whether your tyre has enough grooves left or not.  Insert the penny against the grooves, and if the grooves equal half of a quarter of that penny, your tyres are in good condition; anywhere below that, change the tyres. If you witness any kind of uneven wear on your tyres, get is probably time for a wheel balancing session.

Turning on car ventilation for fogging

Due to unprecedented temperature drops, it's possible that the vehicle might fog up on the inside. Hence, in case the front windshield fogs up, switch on the ventilation system to ensure that the fog does not impair your visibility. Every vehicle with an air conditioner set up has two circulation modes: one that is inside circulation and the other that filters the outside fresh air to enter the cabin. In most cases, the outside fresh air would help in case of fogging of the front windshield.

Keeping these instructions would help you when travelling in the Monsoon season. Further, if you want to travel but are being stopped by the unavailability of a vehicle, we would advise you to rent a vehicle of your choice from RenTrip. We offer well-maintained bikes and cars on rent, we have been able to build an upstanding image for our business over the years and we pride ourselves for being a quality self drive vehicle provider. Contact us today for all your vehicle needs.