TIPS FOR DRIVING IN THE RAIN

Florida is green and it is green because we get rain. Even our Dry Season is wet. It’s just not as wet as the Wet Season. So, driving in the rain is a way of life and smart drivers “get good” at wet weather driving.  

Ayrton Senna, the late-great Formula One driver was known for his skill of driving in the rain. He developed a lot of tricks or techniques for wet weather driving but his biggest skill was the ability to concentrate and be in the moment.   

Follow the helpful advice of Aryton and our car experts from Central Buick GMC for driving in bad weather.  You’ll also want to make sure your Buick, GMC or other vehicle is safe to drive in the rain. Our Certified Service Technicians can check your vehicle to make sure your brakes, tires, and windshield wipers are storm ready. We’re just an appointment away.

Slow Down
In the rain, even Ayrton Senna had to slow down. This is the first tip: slow down. Anyone who cannot master this first tip should just not drive in the rain. If the arguably best Formula One driver slowed down in the rain, we should follow Ayrton Senna’s lead. There’s no shame in that: most F1 drivers spent a lot of their time on the track following Ayrton Senna.

The Egg Trick
Another thing Senna did is imagine there was a raw egg between his foot and the accelerator, and he applied pressure to the pedal in a way that would not break the egg. Which is to say, he applied light, constant pressure. He treated the brake pedal the same way: delicately. In fact, he tried to use as little brake as possible and use the transmission in conjunction with the brakes. Even driving an automatic transmission affords you the opportunity to shift gears on your own. It is a skill you can practice when it is dry. Just remember to make no abrupt moves when accelerating or braking.

Smooth is Safe
Smooth steering is also critical. No abrupt lane changes please. Slowing down and concentrating will go a long way to help you drive defensively.

Don’t Be Surprised
Expect the ridiculous. This applies in dry weather too but is especially useful in wet weather. Oh, the wet weather follies can be entertaining but not when they are occurring all around you. I once saw a guy spin his way through a toll booth lane in the driving rain, [Yep, I meant to say that] without hitting anything. He was not an F1 driver, just someone under the wing of Devine Providence. How much do you want to bet that he tapped his brakes too hard because he was going too fast?

Do Not Cruise
Speaking of staying in control: do not use cruise control while driving in the rain. Rain is not a good time to surrender speed control to a vehicle amenity. Just saying.

Make Room
Experts will tell you to give extra room to other vehicles while driving in the rain. Makes sense, but this one is just not happening in the real-world because there are other drivers, and they are not as smart as you are.

When driving from Davenport to Polk City  or Auburndale , it’s important to remember these tips.  Do your best and be prepared for that guy speeding by and shooting rooster tails out from his tires, to dive into that safe space you created between you and the car ahead. This is where expecting the ridiculous will come in handy. Keep both hands on the wheel; remember the raw egg, in its nice white shell, between your foot and the brake pedal, and give more space to this rookie. He may be the guy I saw spinning through the toll booth lane.

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