People use the rain as an excuse to drive slower. You don’t really need to slow down, science has your back. The trick is to drive even faster than you normally do, that way the water is blown off the road by the air coming off your tire. This works the same for snow and ice, if you get moving fast you heat up your tire and melt the ice before you make contact with the ice. The only problem is getting your tire hot enough to do this. It’s not like you can just start driving fast immediately, that’s what’s dangerous. What you need to do is perform a burnout in your garage. It might get a little smokey, and your tires might lose a little tread, but it’s worth it for your safety on the dangerous ice and snow filled roads.
It seems to me that all the drivers in LA know these facts and use them whenever it rains (or, presumably, when they’re in the snow). They don’t choose not to slow down because the road is covered in water, they choose not to slow down in order to keep themselves safe.
I’m close to calling this video a safety lesson. An example of perfect driving in rainy conditions. I won’t, because I’m not a licensed driving instructor, but I would if I was. It’s important for people to learn these skills.
Well, anyway, here’s the video for your viewing and educational pleasure.
UPDATE: Apparently I’m not so correct about the speed or heat of your tire doing anything to clear the road in front of you. I guess you’ll have to research it yourself to be sure, but it sounds like I might have been wrong on one or two of my points above.
