Wet Road Hydroplaning Car Accidents

Driving in South Florida poses many challenges for drivers, from those motorists who fail to use turn signals to those who continue to use their phones while behind the wheel. But one of the deadliest challenges motorists face, particularly during the stormy summer months, involve the dangers of driving on wet roads. For more than twenty three years, Miami Car Accident Attorney has helped seriously injured victims of car accidents caused when a driver does not account for the difficulties of driving on wet roads and causes a crash.

Most drivers in South Florida don’t understand what happens to roads after they are soaked by an afternoon shower. Issues, including puddles and oil rising to the road’s surface, present hazards which often result in high speed accidents. Other than the obvious, that is, a road being more slippery when wet; rain, especially when the weather has been dry for a few days, causes grease and oil which all vehicles leave on roads to “come to life” and greatly increase the road’s slipperiness, by decreasing the friction between a vehicle’s tires and the road.

Most wet road accidents happen when the friction, or grip, between a tire and a road decreases. This loss of friction causes a vehicle to lose control when turning or stopping on a wet road. Because of the rapidly change in driving conditions brought on by a quick storm, drivers need to be aware of how their vehicle reacts in wet conditions and make needed adjustments to avoid causing a crash. Some of the needed precautions and actions driver should take include:

• Making sure tires are not worn and are inflated to the proper psi
• Making sure windshield wipers are clean and intact
• Slowing down below the speed limit
• Keeping extra distance behind other vehicles
• Avoid driving through puddles
• Try to drive in the tire tracks of vehicles traveling in front of your vehicle

In addition to the difficulties presented by slick roads, rainstorms can also cause visibility problems. Vehicle tires, particularly those from tractor trailers, kick recent rainfall into the air, creating a brief blinding fog making visibility difficult for trailing vehicles. The combination of lack of friction and low visibility can result in a term most motorists have heard, but do not completely understand, hydroplaning. Hydroplaning happens when a layer of water builds up between a vehicle’s wheels and the road surface, resulting in a loss of traction which prevents the car or truck from responding to the driver’s intended maneuvers. Essentially, hydroplaning happens when a tire encounters more water than its treads can push away. This causes a tire to lose contact with the road and glide upon a sheet of water. As with all rainfall, the most dangerous tie is in the first ten minutes after rain begins to fall.

Because most crashes are preventable, the law requires drivers to reduce their speed and adjust their driving behavior to account of changing weather conditions. When a driver carelessly fails to adjust to the weather and road condition, Florida law sill hold them responsible for causing any accident they cause and entitle the people they hurt to compensation for their damages. Those damages may include:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering from permanent injuries, including fractures and lacerations

If you or a loved one were injured due in a car accident on a wet road due to the carelessness of another driver, we urge you to CONTACT the Law Offices of Joseph I. Lipsky, P.A., either ONLINE or by CALLING us:

(888) FLA-LAW8 - Toll Free
(954) 693-0073 - Fort Lauderdale
(305) 821-7333 - Miami-Dade
(561) 514-3535 - Palm Beaches
(305) 296-6300 - Florida Keys

to arrange for your FREE NO OBLIGATION CONSULTATION. The call and personal injury consultation are FREE, so do not delay in calling to find out about your legal rights.