People often think that summer is just sunshine and heat. It’s important to remember that summer is thunderstorm season, and this summer we’ve seen quite a bit of heavy rainfall and even flash flooding, including this past week. Wet conditions and roads provide a new set of challenges for driving, and it’s always vital to be aware of the safety risks posed by heavy rainfall and wet roads.
In particular, wet roads are slippery. Tyres rely on traction, their ability to grip onto the road, both when they’re moving the car by rolling and when they’re stopping the car by braking. Wet roads reduce traction, which means that vehicles are harder to control and that they take longer to stop when you brake. There’s also a risk of aquaplaning – when you skid on the surface of water rather than going through it – which carries with it a high risk of dangerous loss of control. That’s why it’s crucial to do everything you can to ensure that your tyres don’t have other weaknesses that also reduce traction – and one of those things is getting a tyre pressure monitoring system.
Under-inflated tyres are more prone to skidding and also take longer to stop when you brake. Even more dangerously, they wear out quickly, and bald tyres with the treads worn down have poorer traction too. A TPMS will alert you with a warning light when your tyre pressure isn’t what it should be, thanks to automated tyre sensors in your wheels. With a pressure monitor, you can stay informed and take action, keeping your tyres fully inflated and ensuring that you have the traction you need to drive safely on wet roads.