Golden rules when driving in stormy weather

Drive slowly and watch for vehicles ahead.

In stormy weather, driving slowly will help the vehicle grip the road better, reduce the load on the slippery braking system when forced to stop, and make it easier to detect obstacles on the road such as manhole covers and sewer covers. Always maintain a reasonable distance from the vehicle in front, do not drive parallel to other vehicles, especially heavy trucks to avoid water splashing on the windshield.

Along with driving slowly, it is also important to observe the vehicle in front of you. If you see a vehicle in front of you that is the same make and model as yours and has passed through the flood safely, follow its tire tracks. However, if the vehicle in front is larger and has a higher chassis, it is best not to follow.

In stormy weather, you should drive slowly and watch the vehicle in front (Photo: Tien Phong)

Stop the car if it rains too hard

Driving when it starts to rain heavily is very dangerous, because the heavy rain will overload the wipers, making visibility difficult. In particular, when heavy rain is combined with strong winds causing trees on the side of the road to break or fall, it is even more dangerous to continue driving. Therefore, it is best to stop the car if it rains heavily.

Do not park or drive under large trees.

When it rains and storms, large trees can break branches or fall onto the road, crushing cars, electric wires, etc. Therefore, if you want to wait for the rain to stop, you should avoid stopping in areas with many large trees. Try to find roads with high elevations and few large trees to avoid flooding and falling trees and branches.

Don't confront big vehicles.

On a flooded road, if the vehicle opposite is larger than yours, you should not head on and immediately drive into the water. Because the water waves created by the large vehicle opposite can flood the hood, enter the engine compartment, causing the engine to stall, and the water-hammered vehicle will be very difficult to repair.

Always on lights

Always turn on your lights when driving in stormy weather (Photo: Car Reviews)

When it rains heavily or is windy, drivers' visibility is limited. Therefore, to ensure your safety and that of other vehicles, turn on your low beams, fog lights, and hazard lights so that the vehicle behind can easily see you and maintain a safe distance.

Considerations when traveling through flooded areas

If you are faced with a flooded area, the first thing to do is to determine the water level and calculate the ability of the car you are driving to cross the flooded area. If the water is no more than 20cm or not higher than the bottom edge of the door, then rest assured that the car can move through safely. If you are not sure, absolutely do not drive through the flooded area.

In addition, you should also pay attention when there are vehicles going in the same and opposite directions because waves can occur, causing the water to rise higher and increasing the risk of water entering the air intake and engine air filter.

Remove air filter

When you decide to go through a flooded area, you should remove the engine air filter to get air directly from the engine compartment, instead of through the car's air intake to avoid water from entering the engine. After passing through the flooded area, you can reinstall the engine air filter normally.

Do not open the door

When driving through flooded areas, drivers must not open the door to avoid water from entering the vehicle.

Turn off the air conditioner and go in low gear.

When driving in the rain, you should use low gear because if you leave it in place, the car will automatically shift to 2nd gear, causing the throttle to be weak, leading to water entering the engine through the exhaust pipe.

When driving in flooded areas, turn off the air conditioning switch (AC button), go to 1st gear, use a steady throttle at a moderate level, keep the engine running smoothly, and drive slowly. For automatic transmission vehicles, switch to semi-automatic mode and leave it in 1st gear.

Do not step on the gas or brake suddenly.

When going through flooded areas, stepping on the gas pedal hard will create a large amount of inertia, causing water to easily overflow into the radiator grille and enter the air intake pipe.

Do not step on the gas or brake suddenly when going through flooded areas. (Photo: Discovery)

You should also note that after going through a flooded area, you should take a moment to apply the brakes to remove water, mud, and debris stuck on the brake discs.

Interior Check

Immediately after removing the car from the flooded area, check the interior, because if water gets into the interior, it will cause rapid damage. If water is found, use a towel or paper to absorb the remaining water, then use a fan or hair dryer to dry the interior.

Check the engine compartment

Just like checking the interior, checking the engine compartment is equally important. After the car is out of the flooded area, open the hood and observe. If there is a lot of water in the air filter, engine or oil tank, the car has definitely had water in the engine.

For the average person who does not know about technology, the best way is to let a technician check and repair it.

Don't try to restart

Do not try to start the engine a few more times when the car is turned off, because this action will cause serious damage to the car such as damaging the connecting parts between the pistons leading to broken connecting rods, possibly having to replace the entire engine system, electrical system. More seriously, water can get into the engine causing hydro-lock.

In this case, you should remove the ignition key, push the car to a high position and call for help immediately.