DRIVING AND OPERATING 181{ WarningWet brakes can cause crashes. Theymight not work as well in a quickstop and could cause pulling to oneside. You could lose control of thevehicle.After driving through a large puddleof water or a car/vehicle wash,lightly apply the brake pedal untilthe brakes work normally.Flowing or rushing water createsstrong forces. Driving throughflowing water could cause thevehicle to be carried away. If thishappens, you and other vehicleoccupants could drown. Do notignore police warnings and be verycautious about trying to drivethrough flowing water.HydroplaningHydroplaning is dangerous. Water canbuild up under the vehicle's tires sothey actually ride on the water. Thiscan happen if the road is wet enoughand you are going fast enough. Whenthe vehicle is hydroplaning, it haslittle or no contact with the road.There is no hard and fast rule abouthydroplaning. The best advice is toslow down when the road is wet.Other Rainy Weather TipsBesides slowing down, other wetweather driving tips include:. Allow extra following distance.. Pass with caution.. Keep windshield wiping equipmentin good shape.. Keep the windshield washer fluidreservoir filled.. Have good tires with proper treaddepth. See Tires 0 282.. Turn off cruise control.Hill and Mountain RoadsDriving on steep hills or throughmountains is different than driving onflat or rolling terrain. Tips include:. Keep the vehicle serviced and ingood shape.. Check all fluid levels and brakes,tires, cooling system, andtransmission.. Shift to a lower gear when goingdown steep or long hills.{ WarningUsing the brakes to slow the vehicleon a long downhill slope can causebrake overheating, can reduce brakeperformance, and could result in aloss of braking. Shift thetransmission to a lower gear to letthe engine assist the brakes on asteep downhill slope.{ WarningCoasting downhill in N (Neutral) orwith the ignition off is dangerous.This can cause overheating of thebrakes and loss of steering assist.Always have the engine runningand the vehicle in gear.
