What is hydroplaning?

Everything that you need to know about hydroplaning, how to recover from hydroplaning, what causes it and how you can avoid it.

What you just experienced was hydroplaning. Now let’s dive into a more technical explanation.

What is hydroplaning?

Hydroplaning occurs when, on a wet surface, the car’s tires lose contact with the tarmac and starts traveling over a film of water, leading to loss of grip. Consequently the driver loses control of the vehicle and can neither steer or slow it down using the brakes. Results of hydroplaning can vary from a little bit of wallowing to a full blown crash, depending on the following factors.

What is hydroplaning caused by?

There are a few factors that contribute to hydroplaning such as vehicle speed, condition of the tires and the amount of water on the road.

1. Vehicle speed – the faster the car is being driven, the higher the chances of hydroplaning.
2. Volume of water – the higher the depth of water, the lower the hydroplaning speed required, therefore higher risk of hydroplaning.
3. Tire pressure – lower tire pressure increases the risk of hydroplaning.
4. Tire tread – the lower the tread depth, the lower the capacity of the tire to drain water and higher the risk of hydroplaning.

How do you know if your car is hydroplaning?

The thing with hydroplaning is that it occurs so suddenly that you don’t really get the time to react quickly enough, especially if you’re driving fast. Nevertheless, you should be aware of the signs that the car is hydroplaning.

• You will feel the steering becoming ‘loose’ and the car feeling ‘floaty’ and not holding the road very well
• The front and/or rear of the car may swing away from the direction of travel. This is even more apparent if you’re driving through a corner

How to recover from hydroplaning?

Instinctively, the first thing we do when not in control of a situation, is to react. In case of hydroplaning though, this is the worst thing to do. Instead, here are some alternative things to do:

• Stay calm – As counter-intuitive as it sounds, don’t make any sudden steering corrections or hard braking. When hydroplaning, the car is basically floating on water and no amount of braking will slow it down. In fact if you brake hard, and the car suddenly finds grip, you may end up in a spin.
• Off the throttle – Come off the gas and allow the car to coast.
• Wait for traction – Once the tires are back in contact with tarmac, you will be able to steer the car and brake

How to avoid hydroplaning

While there’s no way to predict what will or won’t happen in the next instance, you can be better prepared to face any eventuality.

• Tire health – Ensure that your tires have enough tread depth. Transport Canada recommends any tire worn down to the same level as the tread wear indicator must be replaced.
• Tire pressure – As mentioned above, an underinflated tire is more likely to hydroplane. We recommend keeping the tires inflated to manufacturer recommended levels and check the tire pressure at least once every fortnight.
• Don’t be Speedy Gonzales – In fact, his cousin Slowpoke Rodriguez is a better role model if it’s raining out. We recommend slowing down by at least 10 km/h from what you would usually drive at. Friendly reminder: posted speed limits are the maximum speeds you can do, not the minimum you have to.
• Avoid puddles – Look far and watch out for standing water because one never knows how deep it actually is. Also avoid driving too close to the outer edges of the lanes, especially around bends, as this is where water usually stagnates.

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