IT'S
IT'S IMPORTANT TO STAY SAFE ON THE ROADS IN ALL THIS RAIN. K-P-D SAID IN A
TWEET OVER THE WEEKEND...
THERE WERE MULTIPLE CRASHES ON
4@THE 4@INTERSTATES DUE TO HEAV
RAIN AND DRIVERS NOT SLOWING
DOWN. THEY URGED EVERYONE
TO MAKE "GOOD DRIVING
DECISIONS."4@
HERE WITH A REMINDER ON
HOW WET ROADS CAN BE EXTREMELY
DANGEROUS TO DRIVERS IS
STEPHANIE MILANI FROM TRIPLE A.
--FIRST LET'S TALK ABOUT
THE BASIC THINGS 4@YOU SHOULD
DO... AND 4@SHOULDN'T DO.
--HOW CAN NOT DOING THOSE
THINGS CAUSE PROBLEMS?
--WHAT IF YOU DO RUN INTO AN
ISSUE?AAA URGES TENNESSEE
DRIVERS TO PREPARE NOW FOR
STRONG STORMS AND RAINFALL.
HEAVY RAINFALL CAN CREATE
DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS
WITH LITTLE TO NO VISIBILITY.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT
MOTORISTS ADJUST THEIR TYPICAL
DRIVING STYLE. NEARLY 1.2
MILLION TRAFFIC CRASHES OCCUR
EACH YEAR ON WET PAVEMENT WIT4@
MORE THAN A HALF MILLION
INJURIES AND 5,700 DEATHS,
ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE
NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC
SAFETY ADMINISTRATION."IT'S
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT
DRIVING IN RAIN OR ON ROADS
WITH STANDING WATER REQUIRES
DRIVERS TO CHANGE THEIR
DRIVING STYLE," SAID S4@TEPHANI
MILANI, TENNESSEE PUBLIC
AFFAIRS DIRECTOR, THE AUTO
CLUB GROUP. "DRIVERS SHOULD
DECREASE THEIR SPEED, INCREASE
FOLLOWING DISTANCE AND, IN
ORDER TO BE MORE VISIBLE TO
OTHER DRIVERS, ALWAYS USE
HEADLIGHTS IN THE RAIN." AAA
OFFERS THE FOLLOWING TIPS FOR
DRIVING IN WET WEATHER
CONDITIONS: IF YOUR VEHICLE
SHUTS DOWN WHILE IN STANDING 4@
WATER, DO NOT TRY TO RESTART
IT. RESTARTING A VEHICLE IN
STANDING WATER CAN CAUSE MORE
WATER TO ENTER THE ENGINE AND
COULD COST THOUSANDS OF
DOLLARS TO REPAIR.DO: PREPARE
A VEHICLE EMERGENCY KIT:
INCLUDE A FLASHLIGHT AND EXTRA
BATTERIES, AN UMBRELLA OR
PONCHO, FLARES OR WARNING
TRIANGLES, CELL PHONE CHARGER,
NON-PERISHABLE FOOD AND
DRINKING WATER, A FIRST AID
KIT AND A BASIC TOOL KIT.SLOW
DOWN AND LEAVE ROOM: SLOWING
DOWN DURING WET WEATHER
DRIVING CAN BE CRITICAL TO
REDUCING A CAR'S CHANCE OF
HYDROPLANING, WHEN THE TIRE4@S
RISE UP ON A FILM OF WATER.
WITH AS LITTLE AS = INCH OF
WATER ON THE ROAD, TIRES HAVE
TO DISPLACE A GALLON OF WATER
PER SECOND TO KEEP THE RUBBER
MEETING 4@THE ROAD. DRIVERS
SHOULD REDUCE THEIR SPEED TO
CORRESPOND TO THE AMOUNT OF
WATER ON THE ROADWAY. AT 4@
SPEEDS AS LOW AS 35 MPH, NEW
TIRES CAN STIL4@L LOSE SOME
CONTACT WITH THE ROADWAY.
INCREASE FOLLOWING DISTANCE:
IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT FOR
4@
INCREASE FOLLOWING DISTANCE: IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT FOR MOTORI4@STS TO ALLOW AMPLE
STOPPING DISTANCE BETWEEN CARS
BY INCREASING THE FOLLOWING
DISTANCE OF THE VEHICLE IN
FRONT OF THEM. DRIVERS SHOULD
SCAN THE ROAD AHEAD OF THEM
AND SO THEY CAN REACT TO
SLOWING TRAFFIC AHEAD. 4@USE
HEADLIGHTS: TURN ON YOUR
HEADLIGHTS TO HELP YOU SEE
BETTER AND TO ALLOW OTHER
MOTORISTS TO SPOT YOU BETTER.
AVOID USING YOUR HIGH BEAMS
BECAUSE YOU COULD BLIND OTHER
DRIVERS AND THE EXTRA LIGHT
WILL REFLECT OFF THE RAIN,
CAUSING MORE OF A DISTRACTION
FOR YOU.CHECK TIRES: MAKE SURE
TIRES ARE PROPERLY INFLATED
AND HAVE ENOUGH TREAD DEPTH.
THIS WILL ALLOW THE VEHI4@CLE T
HAVE BETTER TRACTION AND
MANEUVERABILITY ON THE ROAD.
WORN TIRES WITH LITTLE TREAD
ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO
HYDROPLANE ON WET PAVEMENT,
RESULTING IN A LOSS OF BRAKING
POWER AND STEERING CONTROL.
CHECK THE TREAD DEPTH OF YOUR
CAR'S TIRES BY INSERTING A
QUARTER UPSIDE DOWN INTO A
TIRE GROOVE. IF YOU CAN SEE
ABOVE WASHINGTON'S HEAD AT ANY
POINT, IT'S TIME FOR NEW TIRES.
DON'T: DON'T CRUISE CONTROL:
THIS FEATURE WORKS GREAT IN
DRY CONDITIONS, BUT WHEN USED
IN WET CONDITIONS, THE CHANCE
OF LOSING CONTROL OF THE
VEHICLE CAN INCREASE. TO
PREVENT LOSS OF TRACTION, THE
DRIVER MAY NEED TO REDUCE THE
CAR'S SPEED BY LIFTING OFF THE
ACCELERATOR, WHICH CANNOT BE
ACCOMPLISHED WHEN CRUISE
CONTROL IS ENGAGED.4@DON'T USE
FLASHERS: 4@FLASHERS SHOULD ONL
BE USED WHEN A VEHICLE IS
STOPPED. WHILE MANY DRIVERS
MAY BELIEVE THE USE OF
FLASHERS MAKES THEIR VEHICLE
MORE VISIBLE, IT MAY ONLY
DISTRACT OR CONFUSE OTHER
DRIVERS. AVOID STANDING
WATER AND FLOODED ROADS AT ALL
TIMES: THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL
HOW DEEP STANDING WATER IS ON
A FLOODED ROAD AND 4@DRIVING
THROUGH IT CAN CAUSE A VEHICLE
TO STALL AND RESULT IN SEVERE
DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE.IF YOUR
VEHICLE STALLS IN A FLOODED
AREA: DO NOT REMAIN IN THE
CAR. ABANDON IT AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE AND SEEK HIGHER
GROUND. FLOOD WATERS CAN
ELEVATE QUICKLY, SWEEPING AWAY
THE VEHICLE AND ITS OCCUPANTS.
4@4@4@4@4@4@4@4@4@4@
4@4@4@4@4@
@4@4@4@4@
4@4@4@4@
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REMEMBER
REMEMBER - YOU CAN 4@ALWAY STAY CONNECTED TO THE WEATHER FORECAST... TRAFFIC... AND
BREAKING NEWS - WITH THE WBIR
APP. GET BREAKING NEWS 4@
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