We know it doesn’t rain much in the Valley, but when it does, it really pours.  These two tips for driving in the rain have been going around our office and we thought you might find them helpful.

One driving method was told to a member of our team by a police friend who had experienced and confirmed it. It is useful, even while driving at night. Most motorists tend to turn their windshield wipers on HIGH or the FASTEST SPEED during a heavy downpour, yet the visibility in front of the windshield is still bad.  In the event you face such a situation, try wearing your sunglasses (any model will do), and voila!  All of a sudden, the visibility in front of your windshield is perfectly clear, as if there was no rain.  It might sound crazy, but it really works!

Make sure you always have a pair of sunglasses in your car, and share this idea!  You are not only helping yourself, but you might also save a friend’s life.  Try it for yourself.  Amazing, you will still see the drops on the windshield, but not the sheet of rain falling.

How does it work?  You can see where the rain bounces off the road. Sunglasses work to eliminate the “blindness” from the spray of passing semi trucks as well as the “kick-up” if you are following a semi or car in the rain. They ought to teach that little tip in driver’s training as it really does work.

Another tip: Never drive in the rain with your cruise control on. When our team member thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control, and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain, a highway patrolman told her something that every driver should know.  If the cruise control is on when your car begins to hydroplane and your tires lose contact with the pavement, your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed making you take off like an airplane. She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred.

The patrolman said this warning should be listed on the driver’s seat sun visor along with the airbag warning.  We tell our teenagers to set the cruise control and drive a safe speed, but to use the cruise control only when the pavement is dry.

With spring in full bloom and the pavement dry, hopefully we won’t need to implement these practices any time soon.  Monsoon season isn’t too far away though, and if we can each pass these tips along to just one person, we could be saving a life.