As an Atlanta car accident attorney, many of the cases I have rise out of injuries caused in accidents when it is raining. Indeed, on my 8 mile drive to my office this morning in the rain, I was passed on two separate occasions by emergency vehicles and actually came upon the scene of a rear-end collision before any emergency personnel arrived. It really does seem that Atlanta drivers lose their minds when it rains causing accidents and injuries, and I don't know why.
If drivers would use common sense the number of rainy day accidents would come down significantly. There are a few things driver should remember if they have to drive in the rain:
1. Give yourself more time to get your location. If you have a 9:00 a.m. appointment and would normally leave at 8:30 a.m., give yourself an additional 30 minutes (or whatever extra time makes sense), if it is raining. This will allow you to drive more slowly and cautiously avoiding the perils of rainy day driving in Atlanta.
2. Allow more distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. This applies equally to both surface streets and highways. This allows for more reaction time to avoid possible rainy day hazards, whether by evasively steering or evasively braking.
3. Give yourself more time to brake. This also applies to surface streets and highways. Be extra diligent and as soon as you know or even anticipate traffic is slowing or stopping, take your foot off the accelerator and be prepared to brake. Vehicles have a more difficult time slowing when it is raining for obvious reasons, so give yourself all the time you need to bring your car to a stop on rainy days.
4. Relax. Being relaxed and not being in a hurry is always a good idea, but especially important on rainy days.
Try to keep these things in mind the next time you are about to drive somewhere on a rainy Atlanta day or night. Hopefully, drivers around you will do the same.
