ELKINS – With more rain in the weather forecast for this weekend, the West Virginia Department of Transportation is urging drivers to be aware of the dangers of hydroplaning on slick roads.

The National Weather Service is calling for showers and thunderstorms on Thursday, with a 90% chance of precipitation during the day and 80% overnight.

The NWS is predicting rain to continue through the weekend into Sunday in our region.

All that rain could lead to treacherous driving conditions, and the state DOT wants drivers to remember that “rainy days mean slick roads, and nothing is scarier than that sudden ‘floating’ feeling when your car starts to hydroplane. If your tires lose contact with the road, panic is your worst enemy.”

To help educate drivers, the DOT has released a “Do’s and Don’ts When Hydroplaning” guide.

The guide advises drivers to “recognize the signs”: “Steering will feel disconnected from the road; your vehicle unexpectedly slides when driving on wet roads; and your vehicle’s RPM/acceleration will have a sudden drop.”

The guide insists “Don’t try to accelerate your way out. Pushing the gas pedal just spins your wheels faster. The real danger happens when those spinning tires suddenly regain traction – if they’re spinning wildly or turned the wrong way, the car will violently jerk and spin out of control.”

Drivers are urged to “stay calm and in control,” to take a deep breath and keep a firm grip on the steering wheel.

“Don’t panic,” the guide states. “Not panicking is counterintuitive to our survival instincts, but jerking the wheel or slamming on the brakes is exactly how a scary slide turns into a total spinout.” Instead, drivers are advised to ease off the accelerator smoothly.

The guide insists drivers must remember, “don’t use cruise control in heavy rain.”

“Cruise control is designed to maintain a constant speed. If your tires lose contact with the road and start floating on a layer of water (hydroplaning), the car’s computer can misinterpret the sudden drop in traction. This can cause the cruise control system to actually accelerate to try and maintain your set speed.”

Drivers are instructed to “gently steer into the skid,” and smoothly turn the wheel in the direction you are skidding, to help your tires realign with your vehicle’s movement.

Once again, drivers are warned “Don’t overcorrect. If the rear of your car swings to the right, your ‘panic brain’ might tell you to yank the steering wheel hard to the left (the opposite direction) to try and ‘fix’ it. If your wheels are turned sharply to the left when that happens, the car will violently snap in that direction, causing an uncontrollable spin or sending you into oncoming traffic.”

Finally, drivers are encouraged to “wait for control and re-engage.”

“As your vehicle slows, your tires will regain contact with the road. Once you feel control, then you can slowly re-apply speed,” the guide states.

Most importantly, drivers are told, “Don’t slam on your brakes!”

“When your tires lose contact with the road and rise on a thin cushion of water, your wheels are essentially spinning without friction. If you slam on the brakes, you lock the wheels completely. The exact millisecond your tires finally slice through the water and find the asphalt again, those locked wheels will send you into an immediate, violent skid.”