Hydroplaning is a terrifying experience. One second you are traveling normally down the road, and the next you lose total control of your vehicle. It is very easy to swerve into oncoming traffic or go right off the road and down an embankment. Hydroplaning is preventable, but too many people drive dangerously in heavy rain.
Were you injured in a hydroplaning accident? Call Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys. We might obtain compensation from the person at fault if they drove dangerously and hydroplaned. You deserve fair compensation for your bodily pain and other damages.
What is Hydroplaning?
Your ability to steer and control your car depends on the tires having contact with the road. When you turn the steering wheel, the wheels also turn in the same direction, which changes the vehicle’s direction. Unfortunately, with certain weather conditions, a vehicle’s tires will lose all contact with the road. Consequently, the vehicle is out of control as it literally floats on top of a layer of water.
Most hydroplaning happens due to rain. A tire’s tread should redirect water away from the tire. When there’s too much water, it builds up under the tire. Eventually, a thin layer of water rests between the tires and the road, and the vehicle is literally floating on top.
When this happens, the vehicle can go out of control. It’s a little bit like driving on ice. Even if you are steering, the tires can’t grip the road to change the vehicle’s direction, so a vehicle can crash.
What Conditions Lead to Hydroplaning?
Heavy rain is the most common. The rain falls too heavily and can’t run off the road. Also, the tire’s treads can’t clear the water fast enough, so the tire loses contact with the road surface.
There are other contributing factors, including a driver’s speed. The faster a car is traveling, the greater the risk of hydroplaning. If a car is parked, then it won’t rest on water—the car’s weight is sufficient for it to maintain contact with the road. But when a car is traveling, the risk of water building up under the tires increases along with the speed.
Other problems include poor drainage on the road, which leads to standing water. Low tire pressure and worn treads are also contributing factors to hydroplaning accidents. The deeper the grooves in the tire, the more water the tires can push out of the way, maintaining contact with the road surface. For this reason, worn tires are very dangerous in heavy rainfall.
Hydroplaning accidents happen so fast, that many people aren’t sure what went wrong. This is one reason to contact an experienced car accident law firm in Atlanta. We can investigate.
How to Avoid Hydroplaning
Few people really view rain as a danger. Instead, they usually breathe a sigh of relief that it isn’t snow or ice. But heavy rain is clearly a road hazard, and hundreds of people are injured each year in hydroplaning accidents.
Helpfully, there are actions a motorist can take to reduce the risk:
- Reduce speed in heavy rain. The slower a vehicle is going, the less risk of hydroplaning.
- Replace worn tires. Tires should have sufficient tread. Swap out worn tires for newer tires which can push more water out of the way.
- Inflate tires to the correct pressure, which helps maintain traction while driving.
- Gently ease off the accelerator if the vehicle starts to hydroplane. Don’t suddenly reduce speed or hit the brakes but ease off the gas.
- Steer in the direction of a skid. That might sound counterintuitive, but it can help right your vehicle once the tires reconnect with the road.
- Avoid braking unless necessary until the car is out of the hydroplane.
These tips can help motorists get out of a hydroplaning situation and avoid one in the first place, protecting public safety.
Who is Responsible for Your Hydroplaning Accident?
At Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys, we help people hurt in car accidents seek financial compensation. Our firm is dedicated to ensuring you are treated honestly in the process.
We can help if you were struck by someone whose vehicle was hydroplaning. This driver might claim they “lost control” through no fault of their own. But the reality is they were probably driving too fast for weather conditions, or they failed to ensure their tires had sufficient tread. These acts are examples of negligence. A careful driver would slow down and ensure their vehicle is safe to drive.
We usually seek financial compensation from any negligent driver, even someone who hydroplanes. We can demand compensation for medical care, income loss, pain and suffering, and damage to your vehicle. Someone who is seriously injured could receive a six or seven figure settlement.
Call our firm if you need assistance. Insurance adjusters might not sufficiently appreciate how hydroplaning puts everyone at risk. The at-fault driver might claim he wasn’t even speeding. That might be true—but he was still going too fast given the amount of rain that fell. That would make the driver liable.
How Our Experienced Lawyers Can Help You
Anyone injured in an accident faces an uphill climb to get the compensation they deserve. Georgia requires that drivers carry liability insurance, but insurance companies aggressively deny claims. They won’t blink an eye when sending you a denial of claim notice.
Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys can review what you know and perform a deeper investigation. We might study weather reports and visit the road where the accident happened. We can take photos during a rainstorm to show how water accumulates in a heavy rain. If you call us quickly enough, we might reach out to the other driver and ask to inspect the tires on their vehicle before they swap them out.Do you have questions? You should contact our firm to speak with an Atlanta car accident lawyer by calling (404) 529-3476. We have obtained millions of dollars for injured car accident victims in and around Atlanta. Our consultations are completely free.