Ok so... there seems to be lots of people giving advice for driving in the rain. I'm trying not to hijack AATees' thread, and really I think this deserves another thread because most of this involves other drivers and his unfortunate accident did not.

I have some questions... don't see it as an attack on your opinion, more a curiosity of why our views differ. If you see this as a personal attack then either don't answer, or cool off for a bit before you answer... I'm not looking for an argument.

Ok, I have to ask "really slow down"? There's a difference between being careful and going slow... There were a lot of people on the roads today, and most of us were having to pass the people doing 10 under the speed limit (off the freeways mind you) and those were the same people that would put their blinker on half a second before changing lanes and assume the car comming up on them would slow down just because they had their blinker on and continue to cut the faster vehicle off. Now, this driver was going slow, and being "cautious"... then at the same time they manage one of the worst merging manuvers I've ever seen because they're going too slow for the flow of traffic in that lane.

So I guess my thoughts are: Yes, be careful and give yourself more room to slow down... but that doesn't mean you have to drive really slow... Obviously it's going to vary by road and traffic conditions but I feel that most of the time going the speed limit while driving in the rain (as long as there is visability to support it, obviously) is perfectly acceptable as long as you provide yourself more room in front of you and are more aware of the vehicles around you.

[QUOTE=PilotSi,Oct 16 2006, 08:17 AM]Brake early, keep your distances from other cars, watch ahead to judge traffic, and try tapping your brakes on & off every once in awhile to alert any non-attentive persons driving behind you.

 

My very first wreck was in the rain. I was being stupid with bald tires and breaking them loose occassionally while driving down a 2 lane black top. I broke them loose at about 40 mph and then lost it and finally freaked out and hit the brakes and slid backwards into a tree.

Every since then I have been almost paranoid about the wet. That was a lot of years ago and I have gotten much better.

I have gone too fast around a corner, started off too fast, or (the worst) waited too late to hit my brakes and started sliding but I can truly say the S isn't any worse than any other car I've driven in the wet. It is actually much better than any I have driven with V8s. The "lack" of torque works to your advantage in the wet.

 

The attentive driver should also be able to judge vehicle dynamics and the way a car slows down as such. It's easy to get the brake lights to illuminate - a quick tap of the brakes will easily get the brakes to light w/o actually slowing down. A driver paying attention will easily take notice. A driver not paying attention will get scared, hit the brakes, and get off my tail. And that's exactly my intended target.

Also, I'll speak for Cosmo here, but I don't think Cosmo ever said that he would slow down to absurdly slow speeds. Just speeds that are maintainable in poor conditions. Obviously going too slow is just as dangerous as going too fast.

But do what you feel is right. It's just advice...take it or leave it.

 

Well, I'm sure he didn't "mean" absurdly slow, I guess the way he said it "really slow" just kinda reminded me of the idiots going TOO slow... However it does seem that a lot of people in the Dallas area lack the skills (or maybe confidence?) to drive in the rain so they default to "rediculously slow" putting everybody else at danger. And I am not talking about AATees, I've been there done that and it just happens sometimes.

Ok, back to your deal... but what you do distracts the attentive driver away from the thought that brake lights = slowing down and may delay his reaction when you actually do hit the brakes because instead of slowing down as an instinct he will have to determine if you are truly slowing down, and that half second to a second can be the difference between a wreck and not.

 

Speed is typically not the main issue in driving in the rain, any more than it is in driving in snow or ice. You can go pretty fast in wet conditions

 

Oh yeah, how could I forget the headlights part... I'd say about 25% of the vehicles out there didn't have them on. Come to think of it, I think it's the law that if it is raining or visibility is reduced in any manner that your headlights be on, even durring the day.

 

[QUOTE=Doug0716,Oct 16 2006, 08:44 AM] Well, I'm sure he didn't "mean" absurdly slow, I guess the way he said it "really slow" just kinda reminded me of the idiots going TOO slow...

 

Well, I'm interested in your rebuttal... and not so much based on assumptions about what drivers may or may not do, but based on you and what you may or may not do would be sufficient.

I didn't create the thread to criticize anybody or their driving habits, but rather that we could possibly learn from one another. It's kinda like the "downshifting while braking" thread... I learned a lot about the topic by doing research based on what people said. So now this could be a good way for me and possibly others to learn about some safer driving techniques in the rain/reduced visibility.

 

Well that's cool

Honestly, in my opinion, I like the technique b/c it just lets people know I'm "there" I don't randomly just hit the brakes, but if I do notice someone coming up behind me, I'll tap the brakes 3 times to let them know I'm there. My experience is, they'll stay a little farther back, which gives me a good 'cushion' between the front and rear of the car. If in case I slam on the brakes, the rear car will have that much more space before he hopefully MISSES me

Plus, flashing brakes stand out a lot more then brakes that are steady lights...kind of like bikes that have flashing brakes. They just stand out, and it makes you that much more visible, then so much more, the better. IMO of course.

Also, honestly -- how many attentive drivers are there really on the road these days?

 

It's the law!

When you turn on your windshield wipers you have to turn on your headlights.