1993 Pontiac Bonneville Owner's Manual - Page 170

Some Other Rainy WeatherTips Hydroplaning Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.This can happen if the road is wet enough and you're going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning, it haslittle or no contact with the road. You might not be awareof hydroplaning. You could drive along for some time without realizing your tires aren't in constant contact with the road.You could find out the hard way: when you have to slow, turn, move out to pass-or a if you get hit by gustof wind. You could suddenly find yourself out of control. Hydroplaning doesn't happen often. But it can if your tires haven't much treador if the pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on the road. If you can see reflections from trees, telephone poles, or other vehicles, and raindrops "dimple" the water's surface, there could be hydroplaning. Hydroplaning usuallyhappens at higher speeds. There just isn't a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow down when it is raining, and be careful. Turn on your headlights-not just your parking lights-to help make you more visible to others. Look for hard-to-see vehicles coming from behind. You may want to use your headlightseven in daytime if it's raining hard. Besides slowing down, allow some extra following distance. And be especially careful when you pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted by road spray. If the road spray is so heavy you are actually blinded, drop back. Don't pass until conditions improve. Going more slowly is better than having an accident. Use your defogger if it helps. Have good tires withproper tread depth. (See the Index under Tires.)