LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – It’s been a rainy week in Kentucky and this comes at the time also that we are starting to see leaves fall on the roadway and we are about to see a major time change.
This means you need to be more mindful and careful out on the roadways.
Before you head out on the road, you want to make sure your car’s maintenance is up to date. This includes having the right tire wear and tire pressure. Another key part of a car that we want to be working is of course windshield wipers.
“We don’t think about our windshield wipers until we go to flip them on because it’s raining and then people find out they aren’t working like they should. So, just get in the habit of changing those out at least every 6 months,” said Lori Weaver Hawkins of AAA Hamburg.
Once you are out on the roads, it doesn’t take much rain at all to create hazardous conditions.
“It takes about a tenth to a twelfth of an inch of rain water to possibly cause your car vehicle to hydroplane, so it doesn’t take a whole lot,” said Weaver Hawkins.
What just makes driving even more tricky this time of year are falling leaves that reach the ground and combine with wet roads.
“Even those wet leaves covering road surfaces can make it difficult for those tires to grip the road surface which again means that you need to reduce that speed and leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle ahead of you,” Weaver Hawkins said.
Evening commutes are some of the busiest times of the day on the roads and next week, those commutes are going to be a little more darker as the clocks change this weekend.
“We do know that about 76 percent of all pedestrian vehicle fatalities occur after dark so that is something to be really mindful of when you start out in your evening commute,” said Weaver Hawkins.
Weaver Hawkins said turning the cruise control off and having your lights on when your windshield wipers are on are other good practices in the rain.
Copyright 2025 WKYT. All rights reserved.