Raining and Flooding cause Dangerous Driving Conditions

Another round of storms blew through the area Tuesday afternoon. To help drivers get through the difficult driving situations, AAA Ohio offered tips for safe driving.

The auto club’s senior public relations manager, Kimberly Schwind said checking your tires once a month can go a long way to keeping you safe on the road. That’s just one of many things you can check before traveling through storms.

“There’s a few things that people need to be aware of,” Schwind said. “Usually, driving through a rain storm is just fine especially if you have good windshield wipers, have a clear windshield and your headlights are working properly you should have no problems driving in the rain.”

Schwind said losing site of the cars in front of you or the edges of the road is a good indicator that you need to pull off the road. If you can’t make it to a rest area or a gas station, AAA advices you to get as far off on the shoulder as possible and turn your hazard lights on. Also, Schwind warns against driving through standing water.

“Even a couple inches of water can cause you to lose control,” Schwind said. “So you really want to avoid driving through water. If you go into six inches of water, that can actually reach the undercarriage of your car and can damage the electrical components. Just one to two feet of water can actually carry your car away 28:22 ”

Schwind said the first ten minutes of a rain storm is the most dangerous to drive in as oil and debris that hasn’t been washed away can cause cars to lose control more easily.