Aquaplaning

challengemaster

I know this forum is more directed at L drivers, but, I figure I'll get a better response in here than the main motoring forum about this.. and sure, aren't we always learning Just something I've been thinking about over the last few days....

With the kind of weather over the last few days, where there's flash floods, surface water on a lot of roads....Aquaplaning is fairly possible. When it comes to driving on motorways/dual carraigeways, the camber of the road usually means the surface water falls away from the centre / ends up mainly on the left most lane....

Now, I know you should only use the overtaking lane for overtaking, but... would it be acceptable to use it to avoid surface water and possibly aquaplaning? I'd be of the assumption that safety trumps staying in the right lane...

Interested to hear opinions on this

MascotDec85

Absolutely, driving through flooded areas affects your, brakes, your ability to steer and also your grip.

You should return to the left hand lane where possible and when moving out to avoid flooded sections of road you should carry out the observations and signals as normal

Pete67

I've never noticed much difference in the amount of standing water from one lane to another, I would think in most cases the safest approach is to match your speed to the prevailing conditions. The likelyhood of aquaplaning increases exponentially with road speed as the ability of the tyres to cut through and get rid of water passing underneath them is overcome by the sheer volume of water involved at higher speeds.

It would seem perfectly reasonable to move to the overtaking lane and back again to avoid visible flooding in the driving lane, provided the outer lane is available, but I don't believe that driving in the overtaking lane because the roads are wet would be advisable!

ADIDriving

Yes. Most of what has been said is acurate. A quick point though. If you are aquaplaning simply lift off the gas. Steering and brake are useless.

dudara

The inbound 3-lane section of the N7 between Naas and Newland's Cross is awfully prone to standing surface water when heavy rain is falling. This particularly affects the leftmost lane. Poor road design.

Matters aren't helped by the stunning inability of the average Irish driver to slow down and adjust their driving to the conditions.

MascotDec85

dudara wrote: »

The inbound 3-lane section of the N7 between Naas and Newland's Cross is awfully prone to standing surface water when heavy rain is falling. This particularly affects the leftmost lane. Poor road design.

Matters aren't helped by the stunning inability of the average Irish driver to slow down and adjust their driving to the conditions.

Might not be the case. It could be poorly installed or maintained drainage systems. If it mostly affects the inside lane I'd suggest this was the case.

dudara

MascotDec85 wrote: »

Might not be the case. It could be poorly installed or maintained drainage systems. If it mostly affects the inside lane I'd suggest this was the case.

To me, that all falls into the category of road design. Whatever the cause, the effect is clear enough when it's pelting rain on that road.

daveharnett

Just a reminder: if you've been putting off replacing those 'barely legal' tyres for a while, these are the times when it's most likely to bite you in the a**. Get them sorted this week, and don't skimp on quality!

cosmic

daveharnett wrote: »

Just a reminder: if you've been putting off replacing those 'barely legal' tyres for a while, these are the times when it's most likely to bite you in the a**. Get them sorted this week, and don't skimp on quality!

+1 to this. I actually just dropped my car into the garage yesterday to get my new winter tyres!