1993 GMC Jimmy Owner's Manual - Page 210

Your Driving and the Road Youmightnot be aware of hydroplaning.Youcoulddrivealongforsome timewithoutrealizingyourtiresaren't in constant contact with the road. You couldfindoutthehardway:whenyouhave to slow,turn,moveout to pass-or if yougethitbyagustofwind.Youcouldsuddenlyfindyourself out of control. Hydroplaningdoesn'thappenoften.But it can if yourtireshaven'tmuchtread or if thepressureinoneormoreislow. It canhappen if alotofwateris standing on theroad. If youcanseereflectionsfromtrees,telephonepoles, orothervehicles,andraindrops"dimple"thewater'ssurface,therecouldbe hydroplaning. Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There just isn't a hard and fast rule abouthydroplaning.Thebestadvice is to slowdownwhen it is raining,andbe careful. Some Other Rainy Weather Tips Turnonyourheadlights-notjustyourparkinglights-tohelpmakeyou more visible to others. Look for hard-to-see vehicles coming from behind. You may want to use yourheadlightseven in daytime if it'sraininghard. Besidesslowingdown,allowsomeextrafollowingdistance.Andbe especiallycarefulwhenyoupassanothervehicle.Allowyourselfmore clearroomahead,andbeprepared to haveyourviewrestrictedbyroad. spray. If theroadsprayis so heavyyouareactuallyblinded,dropback. Don'tpassuntilconditionsimprove.Goingmoreslowly is betterthan havinganaccident. Useyourdefogger if it helps. Havegoodtireswithpropertreaddepth.(See"Tires"intheIndex.) Driving in Fog, Mist and Haze Fog can occur with high humidity or heavy frost. It can be so mild that you canseethrough it forseveralhundredfeet(meters).Or it might be so thick that you can see only a few feet (meters) ahead. It maycomesuddenly to an otherwise clear road. And it can be a major hazard. Whenyoudriveinto afogpatch,yourvisibilitywillbereducedquickly.The or being struck bytheonebehind. biggestdangersarestrikingthevehicleahead Try to "read the f o g densitydowntheroad. I thevehicleahead starts to f becomelessclearor,atnight, if thetaillightsareharder to see,thefog is probablythickening.Slowdown to givetrafficbehindyou a chance to slowdown. Everybodythenhas a betterchance to avoidhittingthevehicleahead. 4-38