Residents of Georgia are no strangers to rainy days. The state receives anywhere from 45 to 70 inches of rain per year, along with plenty of lightning and thunder. With wet roads come hazardous road conditions and the potential for major accidents, leaving you in need of a new car and the number for a Georgia car accident lawyer.
If you want to master safe driving, you need to know how to drive in the rain. Don’t worry if you’re not the most experienced in defensive driving and car accident prevention. Read on to learn everything you need to know about safe driving in the rain, and when to reach out to personal injury lawyers in Georgia.
Prepare Your Car for Wet Roads
Before you ever get out on wet roads, you need to make sure that your car is ready to take them on. That means inspecting your car for obvious issues like bald and underinflated tires. Check your wiper blades and lights to make sure they don’t need to be replaced as well.
You should also make sure you have a road safety kit in case hazardous road conditions leave you on the side of the road. These can help you and your car stay safe until the weather clears or help arrives.
Wait It Out
Georgia gets some torrential downpours, especially when the remnants of tropical storms pass through. Even if your safe driving skills are well-honed, there are times when you should wait out the rain before getting on the road. Consider waiting to leave or pulling over when there’s poor visibility, hail, or a flash flood warning.
Leaving early might get you to your destination faster, or it might land you in an accident. If you don’t want to be scrambling to find a personal injury lawyer in Georgia, then it’s best to wait out major storms.
Slow Down
Slowing down while it’s raining might sound unnecessary, but it makes a big difference in your chances of getting into a car accident. Why? Your tires work hard to displace water while you’re driving on wet roads, the slower you drive, the easier it is for your tires to make contact with the road.
Keep Things Smooth
Whenever the roads are wet, it’s important to take your time when you’re accelerating and braking. Putting the pedal to the metal on a wet road is a recipe for skidding out or hydroplaning. Accelerate gently and you’ll be in much better condition.
In addition, it takes more time for you to brake properly when there’s water on the road. For this reason, it’s important for you to increase your following distance to allow more space for slower, smoother braking. Moreover, Georgia assigns liability to anyone who rear-ends another motorist, so unless you want to be deposed by a Georgia car accident lawyer, brake slowly.
Skip Cruise Control
Most of the time, cruise control is a great way to keep a constant speed and avoid a traffic ticket. It is not a great tool to use in the rain, however.
It’s much easier to lose control of your car when it’s on cruise control than when you’re doing the driving. This is because you cannot respond as quickly when you aren’t in complete control of all of the functions of your car. For example, you may need to take your foot off the accelerator while hydroplaning, but that cannot be done under cruise control.
Hydroplaning 101
Several factors lead to hydroplaning, including large pools of standing water, excess water on the road, and tire issues. No matter what caused you to hydroplane, you need to know how to respond to it to avoid a car accident.
The first thing you should do is take your foot off the accelerator pedal. Continue to look and steer in the direction you want the car to go, but do not hit your brakes. Hitting the brakes and trying to overcorrect the steering wheel tends to make things worse and increases your chances of an accident.
When to Call an Injury Lawyer in Georgia
Getting into a car accident in the rain is a scary experience. Calling a Georgia car accident lawyer can help you recover from it, but how do you know when you need one?
Personal injury lawyers in GA typically act on behalf of people who have been injured or suffered some other loss as a result of a car accident. For example, if you were on the road and another driver hydroplaned and hit your car, then a personal injury lawyer in Georgia can help you seek compensation from the other party and their insurance company.
Even if you were partially at fault, that doesn’t mean you cannot receive compensation. Speaking with an attorney can help you get a better idea of what you may owe and what others owe to you.
How to Find Personal Injury Lawyers in Georgia
There are a bunch of personal injury lawyers in Georgia. Finding the right one for you might seem like an overwhelming task. Thankfully, it’s fairly straightforward to find one with a simple Google search!
Once you find a firm that appeals to you, it’s time to set up a consultation. Many law firms take clients at different offices throughout the state, and they may be willing to do your consultation via phone or virtually. Expect your personal injury lawyer in Georgia to go over the details of your case and the terms of their service during your consultation.
Are You Searching for a Georgia Car Accident Lawyer?
No one expects to head out on the road when it’s raining and end up searching for the names of personal injury lawyers in Georgia. Thankfully, there are plenty of steps you can take to aid in car accident prevention. Make sure your defensive driving skills are up to date and your car is in good shape, and you’ll be well on your way to a safe drive in the rain.
Finding a personal injury lawyer in Georgia doesn’t have to be stressful. Contact the experts at Scholle Law today to learn why we’re the perfect Georgia car accident lawyer for you!