As we all know it has been quite a wet week, but it appears we are about to get some sunshine in our lives! That being said, with all this wet weather and a few required out of town meetings…I’ve been learning to navigate my soccer mom van through torrential downpours, so this week I thought I would discuss special hacks for driving safely in the rain (when you absolutely have to).
First, there are the traditional recommendations, so let’s start with those. Give yourself extra time to get to your final destination. Make sure your windshield wipers are in working order. Turn your headlights on, so other drivers can see you. It may be necessary to drive slower, even below the speed limit, if you are in heavy rain. Leave enough space between yourself and the car in front of you because your breaks may not work as efficiently in wet weather. Do not brake suddenly so you can avoid hydroplaning. Finally, stay away from standing water.
Now onto the more interesting hacks! Though I already knew you weren’t supposed to use cruise control in the rain, I never really knew why. Of course, there is the obvious fact that you may not pay as much attention if you are using the cruise control, but did you know that if your tires lose contact with the ground and your cruise control is on the car will automatically accelerate! This is definitely something you don’t need occurring on rain-drenched roads. Then there are those annoying foggy windows that never seem to clear up when it’s raining, especially when there is a big temperature difference between the inside and outside of the car. Yes, you can use your defroster, but that doesn’t always cut it. A pretty cool hack that I came across was called a litter bomb! Fill an athletic tube sock with silica-based kitty litter stopping at the ankle level. Tie it up and place it on your dashboard. The silica will wick all of the water vapor away – voila, no more foggy windshield! And what about the resulting from light bouncing off wet roads and water droplets, is there a way to prevent the low visibility it results in? The answer is yes, wear sunglasses…special sunglasses. Sunglass lenses should be polarized and classified for medium to low sunlight, allowing 18-45% of visible light to pass through the lenses. After all, your future’s so bright, you gotta wear shades!
Until Next Time!
About Christy:
I am a board-certified family and emergency nurse practitioner who loves to dabble in all things health!I have been blessed with the opportunity to teach and share my knowledge with future nurse practitioners through my faculty position at UL Lafayette. My husband, who is a board-certified emergency medicine physician, and I, also own a medical spa, Serenity MedAestehtics, in Youngsville. This gives us an opportunity to see the happier side of health and wellness. I have three wonderful children, two teenage boys, and one adorable and very spoiled toddler – also known as “the princess.” I love being able to share serious and not-so-serious health hacks with family, friends, and now, all of you!
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