Arizona driving lesson · Weather, Night Driving & Crash Avoidance
Rain, hydroplaning & flooded washes
A 3-minute lesson from the Arizona course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Arizona's monsoon storms bring heavy rain, gusty wind and flash floods. Roads get slickest just after rain begins, tires can lose contact with the pavement, and a flooded wash can carry your car away.
Know the rule
In heavy rain, vehicles behind you and in your blind spots are especially hard to see.
Tires riding on a film of water. At 50 mph tires can lose all contact with the road; under-inflated, worn or bald tires lose contact at much lower speeds.
Don't cross flooded washes: water can stall your engine, hide potholes and carry your vehicle downstream. Judge depth from parked cars and objects, and watch other vehicles.
Drive through water slowly and steadily; braking gently with your left foot may help keep brakes dry. Afterward, test your brakes — dry wet brakes by accelerating slowly while gently holding the brake pedal.
A driver who goes around flood barricades is liable for the expenses of any emergency response needed to remove the driver or passengers from a vehicle that becomes inoperable.
Your car starts to feel light on a flooded freeway at 55 mph. Ease off the gas, don't brake or jerk the wheel, and hold it firmly until the tires grip again.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
During heavy rain, how many seconds of following distance does the handbook recommend?
Still just 3 seconds
At least 6 seconds
At least 4 seconds
At least 10 seconds
Answer: At least 6 seconds
In heavy rain you should slow down and increase your following distance to at least 6 seconds.