Raindrops keep falling on my car

You know how to drive a car... or so you thought.

Driving in the rain is an art Michael Schumacher knows very well. Naturally, he looks forward to seeing rain clouds on the eve of a Grand Prix. Unfortunately, you and I are not half as talented and we need to respect the rain. Read on, if you want to enjoy driving in the wet.

Preparing your car
Your car has endured a couple of months of scorching heat, and trust me, it is not ready for driving in the rain.

To begin with, get your car to an authorised service station for a complete service and check-up. If you thought the car needs a service after the monsoon, you couldn't be farther from the truth.

Hand over the following check-list to the service technician: 1. Check tyre-tread depth (change tyres if the tread is worn out "" it is important to drain water off the all important contact patches during the rain)

2. Check electricals (remember to grease the battery leads and seal off open connections "" water can ruin electricals in a big way. Also make sure the de-fogger works well)

3. Check the rubber seals around the windshield and change wiper blades if necessary (searing heat can make rubber stiff, causing leakage and resulting in useless wipers).

4. Grease the underpinnings of the car that is certain to get exposed to lots of water

5. Service the brakes "" replace pads/shoes if they are worn out excessively

6. Fill up the windscreen washer reservoir

7. Keep an umbrella (secured well ideally) and a dry cloth handy in the car, along with a torch light.

Now your car is ready to tackle the rain Gods, and guess what, the chances of you having an unfortunate accident in the rain have diminished to half!

Driving in the rain

To begin with, never overload your vehicle during the rain since this changes the intended dynamics in a big way. If you encounter a sudden downpour while on the road, immediately switch on your headlamps and run them on low-beam "" it is important to be seen.

Keep at least a two-car distance from the vehicle ahead since your braking distance more than doubles in the wet. Do not accelerate hard or drive so fast that you will end up standing on the brakes, you need to give the tyre as much traction as possible in the wet.

ABS in your car allows you to hit the brakes very hard in an emergency even in the rains. But doing that in a car without ABS will result in locked-up wheels and it willresemble a water sled.

Run the airconditioner if you don't want the windshield and windows from getting misted. If it's pouring too much for your wipers to handle, and visibility is reduced, then it is probably time to pull over to a safe place (not by the side of the road "" you will not be seen by traffic that's behind you).

Stop and clean the rear hatch window if you can't see much through the rear view mirror (not so much of a worry in three-box sedans as it is in hatchbacks).

Also clean the headlamps and taillamps if you are on a long distance run and it has been pouring. Muck on the headlamps can reduce visibility by more than half.

When it is flooding
The car is a dry place indeed but it is not a high place - so if you think you are going to get stranded, start your trek to a safer altitude. Cars with central locking can be opened from inside manually. It will be helpful if you try this out before you actually get stuck.

Make sure that you have kept your windows slightly open if you are stuck in a traffic jam and run your airconditioner (if you have to) in external circulation mode.

You may feel uncomfortable with the fumes "" but you won't choke and pass out inside your car. When tackling flooded sections, don't drive fast "" drive at a gentle, constant speed.

Lastly, remember you are not Schumacher, for whom driving fast in the rain is a God-given gift. Try to keep a steady speed, but do not crawl either "" when visibility is bad, crawling is equally dangerous, since other road users may rear-end you.

And finally, activate that sixth sense button of yours, which will keep you alert all the while.