What should the drivers do if they are driving a car in a thunderstorm?

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Driving in a thunderstorm, during strong winds and rain, with severely impaired vision conditions, requires maximum concentration and attention. It's not that driving doesn't always require it, but we've put together a few points that every driver should observe if he or she is suddenly caught by such weather.

Turn on the low beam (and fog lights)

Do not rely on the automatic lighting of your car headlights. Instead, turn on the low beam manually. As soon as you have difficulty viewing other vehicles, turn on the fog lights, which are much easier to look through heavy rain.

The first drops and the first slip

The worst of all are the first drops that mix with the dust on the road and create a very slippery layer. This mud slides like snow in winter.

Only with a lot of water this dust is washed away, and then the road slides a little less. But it's still sliding. The stopping distance on a wet road from 100 km/h will be increased from about 40 meters in a dry state by about a third. The worse the tires are, the more you will feel.

Beware of large puddles and broken branches

Deep puddles are very dangerous, which can accumulate very quickly in the event of a severe thunderstorm. The higher the speed of the car, the higher the risk that the tire in such a puddle will lose contact with the road. This is called aquaplaning, and the fact is that the tire is no longer enough to drain the water and slide on the water film. In fact, it's like driving on wet ice.

What to do in such a situation? Most often this happens on the highway when driving in a straight line. Therefore, do not fight with the car and keep the steering wheel straight. When one wheel enters deep water, it slows down the drag, and the steering wheel pulls you in the direction you hit the deep puddle.

Heavy rain often also washes smaller stones from the field, which easily damages the tires and the bottom. In addition, you can throw such a stone on another car.

Another risk is fallen branches broken by a strong wind. Especially if you are driving in a forest or along the alley, there is a risk that the branch will already lie across the road. A large piece of wood can ruin the entire bumper.

Keep a bigger distance

Stay away from other cars to be sure. Firstly, you have a longer braking distance on a wet road, and secondly, there is a risk that the driver in front of you will suddenly react to one of the above road barriers.

Don't worry about lightning

You don't need to panic. The car acts like a Faraday cage, and an electric discharge slides across the surface of the body. Then the current will be grounded into the busbars. This is a very rare phenomenon, and each car will react in its own way. However, damage to a vehicle, especially electronics, can occur easily. Therefore, it is better to hide radio recorders and video recorders somewhere, ideally not on a hill.