The first rain turns the roads into a slip-and-slide, here's six reminders how to prepare for it.

A little rain makes a big difference.

Roads that have been traveled on since March 15, 2018, are about to receive its first moisture of the season. It's always a tricky day for commuters, delivery drivers, and people running routine errands. Oil, dirt, and petroleum products combine to create a thin slick glaze over the surface of the road. It makes little difference if the street is made of concrete, asphalt, or an exotic cover, the sheen will still form. Acting much like "black ice" it cannot be seen, looking ahead will do little to evaluate the condition of the roadway. It doesn't take a lot of rain to create the hazardous surface, it is like making bread, a few drops is all that is needed. It's always a surprise, every year no matter the warnings and advice from the people charged with keeping our roads safe, slow down is their mantra. There are issues we can address to prepare for the yearly challenge, most of them can be performed long before the event occurs, however, most of us wait until they need to be addressed. Most years in the state of California we receive very little rain from March until November, it is common however to have one and maybe two days of precipitation in July. That is the month of the tropical monsoon season in Latin America, they blow north through the Sea of Cortez finding their way into Arizona eventually ending up in California. Bringing a light rain to the Northern part of the state, generally, Southern California sees more, not as much as a monsoon but a noticeable amount. At that time the roads become slick and dangerous, but the impact of that moisture is minimal. We are expecting a rain squall to blow in tomorrow and last into Tuesday, (October 1-2, 2018), it will bring relief in its ability to clean the air, roads, and dust off of the Trees. Listed below are some items we should pay attention to and remedy as required.



For the First Rain of the Season:

1) Let's put our thinking caps on, many of us drive almost by instinct placing ourselves in "automatic pilot", listening to the radio, talking on the phone, or performing any number of activities as we embark on our daily commutes and errands. Driving conditions change, and in this state, they change dramatically going from a bone dry dusty environment to rain, fog, and most likely high winds. We must change our mindset as the conditions change, it may be prudent to turn the radio down, lay down the cell phone, and pay attention to the changing atmosphere. At some of the higher elevations, the rain is very capable of turning into its frozen cousin, snow turning the high country into a glaze of ice after dark, in a storm, it is difficult to see.

(This Link leads to tips for driving in the fog)

2) It is difficult to see when rain is pelting down, the wind is blowing and vehicles are sliding on the roads. Turning on our headlights is not only required by law but it may save our lives. Many states require our lights, not parking lights or fog lights, to be on when the windshield wipers are operating.

3) Replace the windshield wipers, I have to admit I am one of those people that are negligent when it comes to this particular maintenance task. Normally I can be found in the parking lot of an auto parts store changing them in the driving rain. Signs of worn out wipers include splitting of the rubber, I assume we have all seen that it is most noticeable when the windshield washers are used during the summer. That tell-tale thin rubber flag slapping behind the action trying to remind us to change them, which I normally ignore. Paying no mind to it is easy, the windshield ends up being cleaned OK, it leaves streaks but what the heck it is cleaner than it was. When the first rainfalls that split wiper now make a mess of the window, the streaks making it impossible to see through. Let's all change our wipers at the first sign, and purchase an extra set for the trunk just in case these wear out quickly. The inability to see through the streaking obscures our vision which is needed to avoid hydroplaning.

4) Check the tires, good treads are needed to avoid "hydroplaning", that is when a thin layer of water gets between the tire surface and the road. Creating an actual space between the two, it normally occurs when traveling too fast through a puddle, the tread does not make contact making steering impossible. It only takes 1/12" (.211 cm) of water to cause a vehicle to hydroplane at 35 miles per hour. When encountering a hydroplaning condition steer straight and let off of the gas allowing the vehicle to slow down gradually until control is regained. Hydroplaning never ceases to surprise us while driving, it is an unexpected event that hides in the back of our minds, it's part of item #1, putting on our thinking caps. The key is driving a safe speed for the conditions, as the drivers' manual states. (I had to retake my drivers' exam, I reached the age of 65 and it is required in California to retest.)

5) Turn off the Cruise Control, the constant speed it provides is great under normal driving conditions, but on roads wet from the first rain, or any rain for that matter, the Cruise Control can cause an out of control situation much like hydroplaning. The danger with Cruise Control in nasty weather is if the vehicle begins to hydroplane it will gain speed. The acceleration may cause the driver to panic not realizing what is going on. In that state of mind, we may not have the wherewithal to release the Cruise Control by either tapping on the brakes or hitting the switch, speeding up instead of slowing down is not a good spot to be in.

6) Slow down, only drive at the speed the conditions allow, that means not only wet weather but fog, wind, dust, and snow storms. Speed limit signs are designed and displayed for driving under perfect conditions, keep that thinking cap on continually evaluating the conditions. Letting up on the gas and allowing more time to reach our destinations is the best tac to take when less than ideal weather conditions present themselves.

Fog is a weather condition that occurs often three days after it rains.

During my working years, I would have to drive to Central California often driving many miles through the country behind all sorts of farm equipment. In wet conditions, it is sometimes difficult, following too closely will cause a thin mud to be thrown against the windshield. That muck is difficult for the wipers to remove, another reason to change them often, often the window remains a mess making vision difficult. The only solution is to pull into a service station and clean the surface with the supplied squeegee and cleaning solution. In the area, I would travel the service stations are few and far between, sometimes having to drive as far as 50 miles until reaching one.

During one of my trips I was behind a tomato truck leaking juice all over the highway, it was a two-lane road one lane in each direction. The thick pasty tomato whirlwind following the truck ended up on my windscreen making seeing impossible and rendering my wipers useless. I pulled to the side of the road and used a rag and water I had for an emergency to clean the mess off, however, it still smeared and was good enough to continue but it had to be removed, which I was able to do many miles down the road.

It taught me an important lesson, I decided to always have in my supplies window washing solution and a roll of paper towels, I still have some in my vehicle to this day. Keeping our vision unobstructed may be the most important preventative measure we can partake of in inclement weather.

Photograph of a very well supplied Roadside Emergency Kit. 

Keeping a Roadside Emergency Kit in our vehicles is recommended as well, most commercially available kits have 80% of what is needed in the event we experience an emergency on our travels. The remaining 20% are items that are unique to us, medication, extra clothing, and special needs items being a few. We don't know what the implications of driving in a storm may be, it is prudent for us to think ahead and plan as best we are able to for them. Most of us have heard reports of people running off the road into a deep canyon having to survive for an extended period until they are found. Living on water from dew or rain, and eating whatever happens by is not a good way to be prepared, spare water and a few granola bars is a much better alternative.

(Follow this Link to view a Roadside Emergency Kit)

Thank you for reading and sharing my blog, it's time to raise our awareness to tune into the rainy season, snow season, tornado and whatever else comes out of the woodwork seasons. Not preparing is preparing for disaster, an unfortunate outcome when an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Thanks again for sharing my blog, let us all slow down and think about our trip before we leave the driveway.

jacquesandkate  EmergencyKitsPlus.com