Help! Before I get a ticket! (rain, driving, water)

[Nomadicus]

I know where there is a car parked that didn't slow down and hydro planned into a guard something bigger than it was. It's not really pretty. Not sure about FL but I was in a state recently where it is the law of the land that you slow down during rain. I've seen one corpse sitting upright behind the wheel from a mere fender bender. One is enough. Just a kid going to work in the rain...

[BucFan]

Saw something similar - car left the road and wrapped around a tree. Driver didn't have a chance. Left a lasting impression on me.

[gulfer]

All true. Plus, yesterday was the first real good rain we had in MONTHS!!

GET OUT AND SEE TAMPA!!!

[algia]

OK...first off, I am one to mind quite a bit when ppl drive 35 in a 50 (its not about "what's the rush" its about the driving manual that clearly states that "if its not raining, and the road is clear, do the speed limit, and has lanes for slower traffic too)...when its NOT raining however, once it starts to downpour where I cannot see the front of my car, nor my windshield wipers...I slow down to 20mph until it lights up. Here's a good example...when we drove down from PA last weekend my husband had the u-haul in front of me with a red jeep on the trailer...and once it started pouring we slowed down, but I could barely see him in front of me...and what was worst was the pavement, because when it is made out of concrete versus asphalt its whiter, and the lane separating lines where also white, but they were not reflecting because it was during daytime...so it literally made for whiteout conditions smack dab in FL...not to mention it was raining as if someone was dropping buckets of water over the car...(I totally missed that tho....I don't like the **** little rain up north at all.....but that's beside the point)....so yeah, we slow down a lot because you literally cannot see the road.

What is not cool is that some people turn on their emergency lights, so you're driving in the left lane and can't tell if the person is stopped or not...I wish ppl stopped doing that as it is totally illegal, and distracting....

[Ryan_M]

Thanks for all the feedback and the stories. I understand not driving like an idiot and slowing down if it's a crazy downpour but like I said it was barely raining. I was just wondering if there was some local driving 'etiquette' that I wasn't aware of. I was out today (wow what a nice day!!) and there was a big variety some way too fast some way too slow. I'll just try to stay out of people's way until I get used to it down here.

Thanks!

[algia]

Ryan,

In the US the "Driving School" is not required, therefore people have no clue how to drive on these roads. One of my friends who lives in Canada did not pass the driving exam because he forgot to speed up on a ramp entering a hwy. Here almost nobody speeds up on those ramps....they all slow down and sit there waiting for an opening (AND THAT is because people already driving on that hwy don't know they need to move over to the other lane and allow others to enter the hwy.

People here are busy texting, and doing all sorts of unrelated activities in a car, and generally could care less there are others driving along (= sharing the road). Others play rude games as in they drive under the speed limit and speed up only when someone is trying to pass them....others hug the left/passing lane "just cause" they have an entitlement disorder...and so on...most people also don't use their turning signals....

You will see the worst driving here...and it doesn't matter if it rains or not.

The other reason is that if people see a cop on the road they slow down under the speed limit because some don't carry car insurance...(that is actually a VERY popular sport in Florida...) so they think that by driving slower, there is no reason for them to be pulled over...(dumbest thing because driving UNDER the speed limit is also illegal)!!!! IQ's are VERY low here in regards to driving.

I'm telling you, IF driving school was mandatory the traffic would be lighter because 50% of the people driving now would NEVER pass a real driving exam.

Originally Posted by Ryan_M

Thanks for all the feedback and the stories. I understand not driving like an idiot and slowing down if it's a crazy downpour but like I said it was barely raining. I was just wondering if there was some local driving 'etiquette' that I wasn't aware of. I was out today (wow what a nice day!!) and there was a big variety some way too fast some way too slow. I'll just try to stay out of people's way until I get used to it down here.

Thanks!

[tinalimey]

A few years back I was travelling to Orlando on I4 in heavy rain. I was driving maybe 30-40MPH in the left lane, started hydroplaning and did a lovely loop-de-loop across three lanes on I4. Thankfully I didn't hit anything but did a 360 degree turn, ended up on the right hard shoulder facing the right way. Scared the crap out of me, and I'm a lot more careful driving in the rain now!

I used to think drivers were terrible in Tampa, but I would take them over NOLA drivers any day. Except the tailgaters.

[gulfer]

LOL. If NOLA means New Orleans, they are bad there too. I lived in Southern Mississipp 3X for a period of about 7 years total. They are just has bad here as over there. They are just as bad down by West Palm Beach as well.
Actually, with texting now, THEY ARE BAD ALL OVER! Watch the streets

[algia]

30-40 in the LEFT lane??? (and you're not the only one sadly who doesn't know the purpose of that lane...I am sorry....but I've seen big red neck trucks doing 70 in pouring rain in that lane, you are lucky you didn't get hit driving that slow in THAT lane!)

Originally Posted by tinalimey

A few years back I was travelling to Orlando on I4 in heavy rain. I was driving maybe 30-40MPH in the left lane, started hydroplaning and did a lovely loop-de-loop across three lanes on I4.

[tinalimey]

That speed is quite normal in heavy rain. I have something of a lead foot when it's dry.