The tread on your tyres is designed to push water away as you drive through shallow surface water. However, if there's been a period of heavy rain, you might see standing water on the roads. This is when you're most at risk of losing control of your car in an aquaplaning incident. Here’s how you can avoid running into trouble.
What’s aquaplaning?
Aquaplaning is a pretty simple concept. It happens when a layer of surface water gets under your car's tyres, preventing them from being able to grip the road properly. Your car ends up ‘floating’ on this water, taking control away from you, the driver.
You won’t be able to regain control of the car until your tyres start to grip the road again.
How do you prevent aquaplaning?
Don’t drive through water
It might sound obvious, but the best way to avoid aquaplaning is to avoid driving through water altogether. Any amount of surface water is dangerous if you don’t know what lies beneath – potholes and debris could damage your car, too.
Cars can float in just 30cm water, and the air intake on most vehicles is behind the front wheels, which will quickly let water in and flood your engine.
Sometimes however, driving through surface water is unavoidable. Here are some things you can do to reduce the risk of aquaplaning:
Check your tyres
Although 1.6mm is the legal minimum for a tyre’s tread, we recommend you replace them at 3mm. Below this level, and especially in wet conditions, you’re more likely to lose grip on the road, increasing the risk of aquaplaning.
Check your tyres for damage or uneven wear, to make sure they’re doing their job properly. A tyre’s ability to clear water is also improved if they are inflated to the correct pressure.
Get alerts on your phone
These days, weather apps and sat-navs can give you live traffic updates and extreme weather alerts, so you can avoid routes with standing water or flood warnings. Sign up for the Met Office weather alerts so you can stay one step ahead.
Reduce your speed
The slower you go, the more chance your car’s tyres have of being able to clear the water and get a grip on the road. Travelling at a slower speed will also give you more time to observe the road ahead and react accordingly.
Drive in the path cleared by other cars
Every car on the road will clear away some water as it passes through. If enough cars follow the same road position, a drier path will appear. Stick to these drier tracks, and you’ll be less likely to lose control.
What to do when aquaplaning
Losing control of a car at high speeds is a frightening situation to be in, but you have to stay calm to reduce the risk of being involved in an accident.
There are a number of things you should do:
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Let the car slow down naturally by easing your foot off the accelerator. Be sure to turn off cruise control, too, if it's on.
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Don’t hit the brakes as this will cause you to skid uncontrollably.
- Don’t adjust the steering as this could cause you to spear off uncontrollably when your tyres grip tarmac again. Just keep steering as you would normally, following the road ahead.
Check your car insurance
Damage caused by aquaplaning – such as collisions or water ingress – is typically covered under comprehensive car insurance policies. However, coverage can vary, so it’s important to check your policy details or speak to your insurer.
