What should you do if you’re hydroplaning?

When you’re driving in the rain, one of the problems you may face is that your car can hydroplane. In many ways, this feels like driving on ice. It can cause you to lose control of the vehicle and leave your lane or even crash off of the road entirely.

So what happens if you hit a puddle of water and you feel the car start to lose control? How should you react?

Take your foot off the gas

Hydroplaning is related to speed, which lifts the tires up on top of the body of water. That’s why you have that loss of control. The tires have lost contact with the pavement. The faster you are driving in wet conditions, the greater the odds of hydroplaning.

So, the first thing you want to do is reduce your speed, but not by hitting the brakes. Instead, just take your foot off the gas and let the car slow down naturally.

Do not turn

People sometimes try to turn while hydroplaning, perhaps to get out of the puddle. But if you are already hydroplaning, then your tires are just turning ineffectively on top of the water. When your car reaches a lower point and the tires make contact with the pavement again, the vehicle will suddenly try to turn and it can crash or roll. But if you keep your tires generally pointed in the direction that the car is traveling, it will settle back down onto the pavement after the hydroplaning ends.

Hydroplaning usually only lasts for a few seconds, if that, but it can be dangerous. If another driver loses control and puts you in the hospital, you may be able to seek financial compensation.