How should you react if you enter a section of the road covered with puddles?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
B. Reduce speed, because you can expect skidding.
Explanation
In the photo you are driving along a town street after rain; the roadway is wet and covered with puddles, and there are parked cars on the right. When you enter such a section, you reduce your speed, because the wheels may skid on the water - answer B. Increasing speed (A) risks loss of grip, and hazard warning lights (C) are used to signal a stationary vehicle or danger, not for driving in the rain.
The Road Traffic Act requires you to drive at a speed that allows you to keep control of the vehicle, taking into account the state of the road and the weather conditions. In a puddle, aquaplaning may occur: the tyre cannot remove the water fast enough, rises up on a layer of water and loses contact with the asphalt, and the car stops responding to the steering wheel and the brake. The risk increases with speed, tyre tread wear and the depth of the water. Before puddles you slow down, hold the steering wheel firmly, do not brake or turn sharply in the water, and you pass pedestrians near the kerb slowly so as not to splash them.
Legal basis: Art. 19 para. 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)