Take These 4 Extra Precautions If You Need Roadside Assistance While It’s Raining

Driving in the rain is never good. The road surfaces become slick with water, causing many vehicles to unintentionally hydroplane, which could potentially cause collisions with vehicles and objects. Bodies of water caused by excessive rainfall can also damage your vehicle and cause engine failure.

Nobody wants their vehicle to breakdown in the rain but sometimes it’s unavoidable, and the rain makes waiting for roadside assistance a bit riskier. Be sure to take these 4 extra precautions if you need roadside assistance while it’s raining:

1. Maintain a Safe Distance and Lower Speed
Pulling over in the rain when something’s wrong with your vehicle is an incredibly daunting prospect. You’re braking needs to be adjusted to accommodate the wetter road surface and avoid hydroplaning, so always make sure you maintain a safe distance from vehicles and lower your speed when pulling over.

You should always maintain a slower speed when driving in the rain, so if you unexpectedly need to pull over the speed should hopefully be lower than normal anyway. Once you stop, put your hazard lights on and call for roadside assistance.

2. Remain Visible
It’s important to remain as visible as possible whenever breaking down in the rain. Both you and your vehicle become much more difficult to see in rainy conditions, espiecally at night, so always take the time to turn on hazard lights and side lights, although avoid full beams as they could impair other drivers.

You may want to pack a high visibility vest in your trunk for emergencies, which can be especially useful for remaining visible in the rain when outside the car. Of course, try to remain inside if you’ve pulled over somewhere suitable, although there is always a chance you may need to wait outside for assistance.

3. Keep the Hood Shut
Breakdowns increase during heavy rains due to excessive moisture that can cause engine components to fail. This also effects the electricals and other parts of the vehicle, so don’t bother cranking the hood to try and get to the root of the problem, simply keep it shut and call for roadside assistance.

4. Don’t Attempt to Restart the Engine if You’ve Driven Through Deep Water
Heavy rainfall often causes large bodies of water to develop on poorly conditioned roads. Sometimes these are the direct cause of your breakdown, with water intake causing significant damage to the vehicle’s engine.

It’s tempting to try and restart the engine after accidently driving through deep water but avoid this at all costs. The intake of water may cause the engine to lockup and damage piston rods and valves, so you may do more damage by trying to start the engine again.

We at Jan’s Towing strongly promote and encourage safe driving. We also know that sometimes things go wrong and you may need roadside assistance in the future. When you need help with your vehicle while on the road, Jan’s Towing offers fast & reliable towing and roadside assistance – everywhere in the San Gabriel Valley, such as Azusa, Glendora, Covina, West Covina, Arcadia, Irwindale, City of Industry, Rowland Heights, and beyond. In Inland Empire, we service the cities of Fontana, Rialto, Bloomington, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, and surrounding cities. We will respond immediately on a 24/7 basis, so give us a call right now at (626) 914-1841 if you are in need of towing or any roadside assistance!