Safe Driving Tips in Bad Weather | Hole In The Donut Cultural Travel

Two Tips for Safe Driving in Bad Weather

Published January 28, 2010 | By Barbara Weibel

Since we’re all driving more and flying less, I want to pass along two very interesting safe driving tips that were emailed to me yesterday.

WEAR YOUR SUNGLASSES WHEN DRIVING IN A HEAVY RAIN:
During a heavy downpour, visibility is bad, even with the wipers on high. Wearing your sunglasses will vastly improve visibility, even at night. The drops on the windshield will still be visible, but not the sheet of falling rain. It also helps to eliminate the “blindness” from the spray of passing semi’s, and the “kick up” if you are following a semi or car in the rain.

NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE PAVEMENT IS WET OR ICY:
Snow, ice, slush, or even rain can cause wheel-spin and hydroplaning. If the cruise control is on when the tires lose contact with the pavement, the car accelerates to a higher rate of speed and takes off like an airplane. Although cruise control can be disengaged by tapping the brake pedal, the extra reaction time required to recognize that a car’s wheels are spinning can be crucial (especially for drivers lured into a hazardous level of inattentiveness on long, flat stretches of road). Better just to turn off the cruise control in bad weather.

I’ve checked out the validity of both tips on Snopes.com. The cruise control tip has been verified, and the sunglasses tip is still being verified, but I checked with a friend of mine who drives a lot and she confirmed that the trick does indeed work.

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Posted in Travel tips |

Tagged automobiles, cars, cruise control, driving, rain, safety, sunglasses, tips, Travel

http://www.visitingeu.com/western-europe/portugal/ Gemma
Great tips. I never thought of driving in the rain with my sunglasses on before, but your tip makes a lot of sense!
http://www.visitingeu.com/western-europe/portugal/ Gemma
Great tips. I never thought of driving in the rain with my sunglasses on before, but your tip makes a lot of sense!
http://traumreisen-blog.de/ daniel
my last accident was in bad weather. next time i will do better.
http://traumreisen-blog.de/ daniel
my last accident was in bad weather. next time i will do better.
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http://www.travelcloseup.com Arlene
Good tips. I find that a lot of people drive the same no matter what the weather. I never would have thought about sunglasses like that. I am going to have to try it.
http://www.travelcloseup.com Arlene
Good tips. I find that a lot of people drive the same no matter what the weather. I never would have thought about sunglasses like that. I am going to have to try it.
http://myitchytravelfeet.com Donna Hull
I never thought about wearing sunglasses when it’s raining. Interesting tip.
http://myitchytravelfeet.com Donna Hull
I never thought about wearing sunglasses when it’s raining. Interesting tip.
http://www.ottsworld.com Sherry Ott
Hmmm – guess I need to get a pair of prescription sunglasses!
http://www.ottsworld.com Sherry Ott
Hmmm – guess I need to get a pair of prescription sunglasses!
http://blog.chambermagic.com/category/waldorf-astoria Joe Montana
Wow! what an idea ! What a concept ! Beautiful .. Amazing ?
http://blog.chambermagic.com/category/waldorf-astoria Joe Montana
Wow! what an idea ! What a concept ! Beautiful .. Amazing ?
http://www.nerdseyeview.com pam
Also, change your damn wiper blades. We delayed on this, got caught in vile storm in rush hour freeway traffic, and I swear it was some of the worst driving I’ve done in, well, I can’t remember how long it’s been. We’d delayed and delayed on putting new blades on — it made a HUGE difference.
http://www.nerdseyeview.com pam
Also, change your damn wiper blades. We delayed on this, got caught in vile storm in rush hour freeway traffic, and I swear it was some of the worst driving I’ve done in, well, I can’t remember how long it’s been. We’d delayed and delayed on putting new blades on — it made a HUGE difference.
Barbara Weibel
Yep, Pam, you are so right. I’ve got 45,000 miles on my car and still the original blades. I was just noticing today that they’re not quite doing the job, buut for some reason that’s a job I just keep putting off.
Barbara Weibel
Yep, Pam, you are so right. I’ve got 45,000 miles on my car and still the original blades. I was just noticing today that they’re not quite doing the job, buut for some reason that’s a job I just keep putting off.
http://www.warrantyheadquarters.com Shannon
Your sunglasses tip is brilliant. I would think that not using your cruise control in hazardous driving conditions is obvious, but I guess not. I personally always want to have full control of my vehicle, especially in sleet, snow and rain.
http://www.warrantyheadquarters.com Shannon
Your sunglasses tip is brilliant. I would think that not using your cruise control in hazardous driving conditions is obvious, but I guess not. I personally always want to have full control of my vehicle, especially in sleet, snow and rain.
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http://johnbamfud999.insanejournal.com/1009.html Theron Hoit
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http://johnbamfud999.insanejournal.com/1009.html Theron Hoit
I cannot describe how happy I find myself to read and reccomend your article. Its well composed and holds quality information. carry on the good work!
http://www.peltiercooler.net Thomas Williams
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http://www.peltiercooler.net Thomas Williams
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vic
i have tried driving in a downpour at night with my dark raybans and had to remove them after a while when driving became even more challenging. i think it is important to specify that not all sunglasses will address this.
vic
i have tried driving in a downpour at night with my dark raybans and had to remove them after a while when driving became even more challenging. i think it is important to specify that not all sunglasses will address this.