How far below the speed limit should I be driving when the road is wet?

It seems up to my discretion, but I have this question on a quiz thing.


The case is a speed limit of 55. Should I be going 5-10 mph below, or 20-25 mph below?|||There are a lot of variables involved with your question.





Type of pavement you are on.... concrete or asphalt... Asphalt will have a little better traction than smooth concrete, but grooved concrete, (like the freeways in Southern California) will offer better drainage of standing water on the road.





You also need to take into consideration the tread depth and pattern of the tires on your vehicle. The deeper the tread and the more rearward angle of the tread design, the better it will displace water from beneath it.





Hydroplaning is something you will only want to experience once in your lifetime... and hopefully you will survive the experience. I found a little trick to gauging speed. Watch the vehicles passing you. If you can see water being sprayed from beneath the full width of their tire on the pavement, slow down and let them get a long ways in front of you. This "wall" of water is what the car is "floating" on and if they make a quick steering maneuver, they will probably go into a spin. You don't want to be anywhere near them if it happens.





You can hydroplane a car at as little as 50 mph. Even less if your tires don't have good tread. Also be aware of the fact that the first 10 minutes of a rainstorm are the most dangerous. The oil leaked from thousands of cars onto the road since the last rainstorm will "float" to the top of the water. Until the rain has provided enough water to "wash" off the oil, the road is going to be an oil slick.





Like the others said, don't overdrive the car. If you are not comfortable with the speed, slow down. It's always better to arrive a little late, than not at all.





Safe and happy motoring...|||Choose your safe speed. Increase the following distance.|||The answer depends on how hard the rain is falling and road conditions.





If there is a steady rain, slow down about 5 to 10 MPH.


If there is a heavy rain, slow down about 20 to 25 MPH.





If water is standing in the road, then slow down to a feasible speed.|||drive at a speed you feel safe at driving at,and base your speed on the road and the condition of it,i usually slow down 5 miles per hour ,if the road is a little worse then slow down more,that's something right there that you have to use common sense on,you,ll know if your going too fast,drive according to your ability to handle the car,and at a safe speed,good luck and be careful.|||5 to 10.