Driving safety on summer roads

all-season tires

For optimal summer safety, you need to combine safe driving with a safe vehicle equipped with premium tires in good condition. When you drive, you will need to adjust your driving behavior according to the driving conditions. The weather, light conditions, and temperature will impact the visibility and how fast you can drive. The temperature and weather will have a significant impact, and it might require a change of tires.

Keeping sufficient distance from cars in front of you is critical. The faster you are driving, the more distance you need to have to the vehicle in front of you. A suitable method is to count the second from the car in front passes a landmark, e.g., a street sign, until you pass it. You should have at least 3 seconds. This method takes into account the speed as it is a relative measurement, so the distance will automatically increase with increased speed. If you don’t leave enough space between you and the cars in front of you, you won’t get the car to stop.

The braking distance is crucial for avoiding accidents with cars in front of you. If the vehicle in front breaks, you have to get your vehicle to a complete stop quickly. The braking distance will depend on the quality of the tires and the surface you drive on. If you drive on wet or dry roads in warm conditions, you should use all-season tires, and in winter conditions, you should preferably use winter tires. Both these will give you the shortest braking distance. The braking distance will depend a lot on the quality of the tires and the tread pattern, and its depth. As the tires wear out, the tread depth and the grip decreases. The decreased grip will prolong the braking distance and make it more likely to end up in an accident.

Slippery surfaces increase the braking distance. You have to adjust for wet roads when driving with all-season tires, as the length can be 30-40% longer. So instead of 3 seconds, you will need 4-5 seconds. It is even longer on ice, even with good winter tires.

Adjusting your speed according to the circumstances is essential. Your braking distance is significantly prolonged when you drive fast, so you have to take that into account. You will need to preferably drive slower or then leave more space for the cars ahead of you. You also have to make sure that you have complete control over other traffic, on-ramps, crossings, and dangers from the sides.

For summer roads, the wet conditions tend to be most dangerous as you have both the prolonged braking distance with the rain. You have the possibility of hydroplaning when you drive on wet roads, as the tires will have to make sure that they can disperse the water that is on the road so that the tires can remain in contact with the road surface at all times and not start planing on the water layer.

For more information regarding driving safety and the impact of premium tires, visit: https://www.nokiantires.com/