One of the important factors of hurricane preparation is to know the dos and don’ts of driving during hurricane.
Even if a hurricane only brushes the youry area this season, driving in rainy, windy conditions requires caution.
The best advice is the stay off the roads unless there is no choice.
Don’t drive if you don’t have to, that’s our No. 1 advice
More people lose their lives on roadways in inclement weather than in any other way, experts said.
But if you must get behind the wheel, use common sense and caution. Keep safe distances between vehicles and drive within speed limits.
Don’t assume that more rugged vehicles like Jeeps are better suited to bad-weather driving. Their height actually works against them in adverse weather.
They’re more prone to rollovers in high winds or on wet roads. Sport-utility vehicle drivers must be particularly careful crossing bridges, on curved roads or while making turns. The vehicles’ height reduces traction.
Should your vehicle skid and begin to spin, take your foot off the accelerator and do not try to brake. With a rear-wheel drive vehicle, shift into neutral if possible and turn the wheel in the direction you want to go.
Severe skidding is less common with front-wheel drive because of improved traction. But again, ease off the gas and keep off the brake. Don’t try to turn, but wait for the wheels to grip the road.
Another tip is to avoid any roadway that’s covered with water.
You don’t know how deep it is. There could be an open manhole or a sinkhole under there.’
If you must drive through standing water, the best advice is to drive slowly.
Should the car stall, call for a tow rather than try to restart it. Oil, dirt or other junk floating in the water could get into the engine and damage components.
If you come to an intersection with a traffic light out, treat the intersection as if it were a four-way stop.
That’s not just common sense, that’s the law.