Many of us learn about hydroplaning in driver's education in Texas. We may have experienced it before without incident, but sometimes, it leads to an accident. Depending on the factors contributing to hydroplaning, drivers may be found at fault for causing the accident and responsible for any of the resulting injuries. At Farrah Law, we have knowledgeable Houston car accident attorneys who are familiar with the laws regarding accidents and may be able to provide support if hydroplaning and the negligence of the other driver caused your injuries.
Recovering from a car accident can be incredibly taxing on you and your family physically, emotionally, and financially. When someone else’s negligence causes your injuries, you should not be the one bearing the full burden. Compensation will not take away the harm, but it can relieve some financial pressure that managing and recovering from your injuries causes.
What is Hydroplaning?
Hydroplaning occurs when road conditions are wet, often under heavy rain, though small amounts of rain accumulation on the road can cause hydroplaning in the right conditions. Essentially, hydroplaning is when your tires lose traction on the road due to an inability to efficiently clear water.
There is no one specific condition that will cause hydroplaning, and your car accident attorney may discover that a combination of factors primed the situation that led to your hydroplaning collision.
Road Conditions
The overall condition of the road is one of the largest factors in creating the conditions for hydroplaning. This includes the road surface, the specific road’s drainage efficiency, and the amount of rainfall on that section of the roadway. The interaction of these factors is key in how likely you may be to hydroplane since it is largely dependent on how much standing water is on the road.
For example, a well-paved road with excellent drainage under heavy rainfall may provide a less ideal situation for hydroplaning than a similarly paved road with moderate rainfall and poor drainage.
Tire Tread
Tire tread is the next significant contribution to your risks of hydroplaning. With enough water buildup, even the best road conditions and the newest tires cannot prevent this. However, one of the protective factors most in your control is the level of tread on your tires. Many tire companies recommend replacing your tires when they wear to 2/32 inches or fail the penny test.
The Texas Department of Public Safety sets the tread requirements for tires at a minimum of 2/32 of an inch unless you are operating a bus, truck, or truck tractor, which should not show wear below 4/32 of an inch. If your tires are worn to this degree, they begin to significantly decrease their ability to safely grip the road or displace water.
Tread Design
In addition to the amount of tread left on your tires, the design may also impact your vulnerability to hydroplaning. The tread design in your tire can dramatically affect the way they perform in certain situations. Some are meant for effective directional acceleration, maintaining traction around turns, or more effective water displacement.
The groove and void ratio plays a key part, where grooves and voids provide a means to break up standing water and channel it away from the ground as the tread makes contact.
Speed
The other factor that lies almost exclusively in your control in preventing hydroplaning is speed. As your speed increases, your tires have less time to clear water. Therefore, ensuring that you are not exceeding the speed limit can dramatically affect your chances of hydroplaning, though in many cases, it may be appropriate to travel below the speed limit.
Although Texas Transportation Code 546.363 doesn’t mandate a minimum speed, you should not drive so slowly as to impede the flow of traffic unless necessary to safely operate the vehicle.
Vehicle Weight
The primary concern in avoiding hydroplaning is ensuring adequate water displacement to keep the tire tread on the road. Driving a larger or heavier automobile can help with this. When you have more weight on the tires, they have more force behind them to displace the water.
This may not help if your tread is too low or there is too much water buildup, but when all other factors are equivalent, a heavier vehicle may be better protected from hydroplaning than a lighter one.
Fault in a Texas Hydroplaning Accident
Determining the fault for a hydroplaning accident can sometimes become complicated. However, like any other accident, the initial considerations remain the same. Those are:
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Aggressive driving
- Other traffic violations
If the court determines the at-fault driver's behavior is in compliance with Texas laws, the next consideration is that of vehicle maintenance, with the primary concern being tire tread. If the vehicle that hydroplaned has tire tread below the minimum standard of 2/32 of an inch, that driver may be considered responsible for the accident. If the vehicle was appropriately maintained and the driver was following traffic laws, the case may be slightly more complicated.
Fault and liability will often still fall back on a driver choosing to drive in situations that are determined to be unsafe. If you are involved in an accident with unclear liability or delays in recovering payment from insurance, you need a Farrah Law Offices lawyer experienced in Texas hydroplaning accidents to advocate for your right to compensation.
Minimizing Texas Hydroplaning Risks
If you are caught by heavy rains or otherwise ideal hydroplaning conditions in the middle of your drive, you have a few options. The first is that you should stop driving if you feel conditions are unsafe to continue. However, if you feel they are not that dire, you can take action in a few ways to decrease risk:
- Decrease your speed.
- Avoid suddenly slamming on your brakes.
- Try to avoid puddles.
- Keep an increased distance from the car in front of you.
If you have taken precautions and find yourself hydroplaning anyway, the first step is to avoid panicking or suddenly jerking the steering wheel or slamming on the brakes. The Texas Department of Insurance suggests slowly letting your foot off the gas until you feel your tires gain traction again and gently turning your wheel into the skid. If you have an automatic braking system, you can gently depress your brakes, and, in a functional ABS system, it will take over to slowly reduce speed.
Call a Houston Car Accident Lawyer Today
If a hydroplaning accident has caused you property damage and injury, you need an experienced Houston car accident lawyer on your side. Determining liability in these cases can be complex at times, and you don’t want to be caught alone and without representation. Securing an attorney after an accident of any kind simply levels the playing field, ensuring you have the legal support the insurance company already has.
Farah Law has been present in the Houston community since 2007 and has secured millions of dollars in verdicts for injury victims and their families. We offer a contingency fee schedule, which means you don’t have to be concerned about racking up legal fees without receiving an adequate settlement. We offer free consultations and 24/7 support, so contact us to arrange a no-risk case review today.
