For the next few weeks, we will be experiencing seasonal changes that result in both sporadic and sometimes significant snow and rainfall. Whether it is an unforeseen spring snowfall and the rapid melting of that snow, or the rainfall we will eventually receive, some of that water will end up on our roadways. Just as dangerous as snow-covered roads are pockets of water on paved surfaces.

Such conditions can cause a driving experience known as hydroplaning. Anyone who has experienced this will agree that all steering and most braking cease to exist, and in most cases it is very difficult to regain control until after the affected area is behind you. There are ways to avoid finding yourself in such a situation. As in any other degraded road condition, the best policy is to reduce your speed in both heavy rains and heavy snows.

This is the part where I tell you that there is a law regarding your failure to reduce your speed when road conditions dictate. It’s called “Driving Too Fast for Conditions,” State Statute 346.57(3).

We have all been traveling down a road doing our best to be prudent in what we would consider bad weather when someone passes with what appears to be total disregard for their safety and the safety of others. If you find yourself in this situation, where you feel someone is driving excessively fast, slow down to put more distance between your vehicle, their vehicle, and what could potentially be an accident they cause. If you find yourself passing other vehicles, ask yourself why they are driving so slowly and consider that there may be a reason for their caution. I have said it before, and I will say it again.

Just because a road is posted at a given speed does not mean that you have to match it. Based on conditions, it is understandable and even recommended that you go slower.