July 18, 2025
Avoiding an accident in bad weather – 3 tips
The Federal Highway Administration of the Department of Transportation reports that “On average, there are over 5,891,000 vehicle crashes each year. Approximately 21% of these crashes – nearly 1,235,000 – are weather-related. The vast majority of most weather-related crashes happen on wet pavement and during rainfall: 70% on wet pavement and 46% during rainfall.
Each year there are 556,151 crashes caused by rain, of which 212,647 persons are injured and 2, 473 people are killed because of both rain and resulting wet pavement. These are preventable tragedies that affect us, our families, and our friends. (Source: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/q1_roadimpact.htm)
Even if it’s only a fender bender, that takes up a lot of time. There’s a police report, insurance paperwork, plus loss of your vehicle use during repairs. What if you had a travel schedule involved? Frustration!
Whether you may cause an accident or are involved in an accident can come down to 3 things:
Let’s face it, as we get older our reaction time decreases. If you have been driving for a few hours, you need to take some steps to increase your reaction time. Stop your vehicle every 2 hours and get up and stretch or walk around and check your rig. Keeping hydrated is important, and, if you are driving further, enjoy the pick-up from a cup of coffee or tea, or, as many folks tell me, chew gum!
Or use the opportunity to clean your entire windshield. You have certainly hit insects, you have dirt and grime from vehicle exhaust, bird droppings, etc. If rain or a thunderstorm occurs and you put on your wipers you are just smearing the mess, severely limiting your vision plus potentially harming the wiping edge of your wiper blades. (picture of smeared windshield)
Why clean your entire windshield? Can you see clearly enough to make a right hand turn without hitting something? Someone on a bike, a pothole, cement barrier or curb, etc. Why take that chance; it has happened.
Keep in mind that rubber wiper blades are porous and rubber is very susceptible to corroding when exposed to sunlight, ice, and chemicals such as those in spray on glass cleaners or in your windshield washer fluid. Please read the warning labels. Avoid using your wipers over dried on bugs as this will harm the wiper edge.
Remove the bug residue, bird droppings, smoke, etc. from your windshield safely from the ground, no ladder needed, with a reusable, chemical free Bugs Off Pad and water. This way you are not exposing your vehicle or yourself to chemicals, and the Bugs Off Pads are the only product on the market that totally remove both the bug body and the embedded residue along with the other acidic residues from smoke, bird droppings, vehicle exhaust, etc. They are also the only product sold that you can use on all vehicle surfaces, such as the painted body, plastics, and the windshield, while easily lasting longer than 200 to 300 bottles of glass cleaner. https://bugsoffpads.com
The amount of tread and your tire pressure are both equally important for stopping ability. Good tire tread depth will be 6/32 or deeper. If the depth is 4/32, you should start thinking of replacing your tires and getting new ones. 2/32 (the legal minimum) or less means that you should change your tires ASAP. The amount of tire tread can affect your stopping distance, making a drive in wet conditions more dangerous as they will tend to hydroplane (skid) when the brakes are applied. Low tire pressure alters the tire’s contact patch with the road, reducing grip and traction. Before traveling check that your tires adhere to the manufacturer’s recommendations for the load carried. An extra 3 to 5 feet of stopping distance can mean the difference between a safe stop or hitting the vehicle in front of you!
