Driving in the rain isn't fun and can be especially nerve wracking if you are driving a larger, heavier vehicle than you normally drive, including RVs, truck campers, and vehicles towing trailers. In the olden days of open touring cars or horse-drawn wagons and buggies, you could pretty much count on getting soaked when traveling in the rain. Today's modern vehicles have eliminated that problem, giving us warm, dry, spaces in even the heaviest of downpours. But driving in the rain still has its threats.
First of all, wet pavement has a coefficient of friction (what makes your tires grip the road) 50% less than dry pavement. The friction between the tires and the road is the limiting factor for how fast drag racers can go. It is also the most important thing for handling any vehicle, any time. Half the friction means your won't have as much control as you normally would. Tires will spin easier when attempting to accelerate and stopping will take a lot more space and you are more likely to slide out on turns. That means you need to slow down! Also watch for puddles on the road. They can grab your tires and alter the path of your vehicle if you aren't prepared for them. They can also slow you down and will throw up a big rooster tail that can affect the vision of nearby drivers. When your front wheels hit puddles they can throw muddy water up on to your own windshield, negatively affecting your vision too. It is really hard to manage where you are going when you can't see where you are going!
Rain and the spray kicked up by other vehicles can affect visibility, making it harder to see obstacles down the road. It is not a bad idea to turn you headlights on when driving in the rain. Water on the roads can make it harder to see lane markings and puddles can hide potholes with sharp edges that can damage tires. Having good windshield wipers is a must. Most wiper systems offer multiple speeds so select the one that gives you the best view of the road. Sometimes a slower speed actually gives you a clearer view than running them at full speed all the time. A lot of modern systems include variable delay timers that let you adjust the speed from very slow (for mist and very light rain) in increments to account for different amounts of precipitation.
Because RVs, truck campers, and vehicles towing trailers are bigger and heavier than our normal daily drivers we need to take that into consideration when driving in rain. Make allowances for slower acceleration, lower turning speeds, and longer stopping distances. Part of that simply means slowing down but it also means giving yourself more preparation time for each maneuver. Realize that other vehicles behavior will also be affected by the road conditions so they will not be able to swerve, change lanes, slow, or stop as quickly as they normally would on dry pavement. Give yourself plenty of room when pulling out into to traffic and begin stopping long before you come to a STOP light or sign.
One of the worst situations you might encounter is a light rain after a long dry period. Oil and grease dripping from vehicles builds up on the road and a light rain sits on top of it making it very slick. It also creates nasty spray that can foul your windshield and damage your wipers. Heavy rain eventually washes away a lot of the spilled grease and oil.
Windshield washers are almost essential when driving in traffic. The polluted road spray from tires often results in smears on you windshield and windshield washers can help remove it. In cold weather you want freeze protected fluid. In the summer you can use ordinary water but commercial windshield wiper solvent will do a better job cleaning road spray and even removing bugs.
Rain behaves differently in different locations. You are probably pretty familiar with the quirks of rain in your neighborhood but it is a good idea to talk to someone who knows the area when you are driving in other places. Sometimes a gas station attendant or a clerk in a convenience store can give you an idea of what to expect but rangers or law enforcement officers are usually more reliable sources. Some places are subject to very hard, very local squalls that weather forecasts probably won't predict. Mountains often create their own weather that can be very different from the general regional forecast. Knowing what to expect can help you prepare for it.
Thunderstorms often generate especially heavy rain and sometimes hail. You usually don''t have to be too worried about lightning hitting your vehicle, although high-profile vehicles like RVs and trailers are more likely to get hit than smaller cars. Some people think your rubber tires protect you from lightning. That is not true! Lightning can arc across thousands of feet of air from cloud to ground. The few inches of rubber between your vehicle and the road is nothing! What does protect you is the steel frame of your vehicle which conducts a lightning strike around you and into the ground if it occurs. Avoid touching any metal parts of your vehicle when driving in a thunderstorm. Also, keep an eye on tall trees, radio towers, and light posts near the highway as they can ''attract'' lightning and could fall into your path. Trees hit by lightning can literally explode, throwing lots of debris that could injure you if you are unprotected. Some folks like to seek shelter under a freeway over crossing during thunderstorms but always be sure you have sufficient clearance for tall vehicles and park out of traffic lanes.
Do not use your cruise control when driving in the rain. It can misinterpret loss of traction and react in a way that cause you to use control. You may have heard this before and not believed it. This it NOT a "fake news" idea. Check it out on Snopes.
Driving in rain at night further complicates things because the wet roads will reflect you headlights differently than dry roads, making it more difficult to recognize even familiar characteristics of the highway. On top of that, your headlights may not seem to reach as far because the light is scattered differently by the wet surfaces. There are night driving glasses that claim to improve your night vision, but you should be careful about using them to be sure they do make it easier for YOU to see at night.
Keep the shiney side up!
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