Aquaplaning is a simple phenomenon most of us must have experienced sometime or the other.

It occurs when a tyre's tread pattern is unable to disperse sufficient water from the road surface. Levels of traction (and therefore control) decrease as the size of the contact patch decreases. Aquaplaning causes the tyre(s) to lose contact with the road, making the vehicle uncontrollable. To avoid this:

• Do not drive through standing water.
• Reduce speed in water-logged areas.
• Make sure the tread depth on the tyre is adequate. Less depth means less ability to flush out water, hence more chances of aquaplaning.
• Maintain tyre pressures to those recommended by the car manufacturer. Correct inflation pressure is necessary for a proper contact patch on the road surface as a tyre, even with an effective tread pattern in terms of water dispersal, may allow a large area of water to persist in the central part of the contact area when running at 60kph in 1mm depth of water. Braking efficiency also reduces as at 60kph a tyre with adequate tread depth stops at 17 to 23 meters but braking distances will increase as the intensity of rain increases or vehicle speed increases.