Dry your feet before entering the car as wet feet can slip off pedals, which is very dangerous. Once on the road, always drive at a controllable speed because the vehicle takes far longer to slow down in wet conditions. 

Maintain three times the distance you usually would from other vehicles to avoid collision. As most of the water accumulates on the outer lanes of roads, try and stick to the middle lane as it would mean less contact with deep water. 

Slow down as you approach deep water. If the puddle is deeper than the bottom of your doors, turn around. Driving in the tracks of a car ahead of you is advisable, but do not follow buses and trucks too closely as the spray from their tyres would restrict your vision. Avoid excessive use of brakes. 

When driving through water, engage first gear and keep the engine running fast by releasing the clutch enough to partially engage gear and applying more acceleration than usual. If the exhaust is under water, rev the engine and slip the clutch to change gears and move. 

The fast-moving exhaust gases will prevent water from entering the tailpipe. In the case of automatic transmission cars, engage first gear and feather the brake, slowing the vehicle while keeping engine revs up at the same time.

After passing through deep water, pump the brakes to dry them out, thereby enhancing their efficiency. Keeping the interiors clean Here, prevention is the best medicine. Use a spare set of old floor mats, preferably fabric mats, on top of your regular ones. 

You can discard these spare mats after the monsoons if they get soiled. But take special precaution that these spare mats do not hinder pedal movements. 

If the interior is wet, ventilate with the windows rolled down. Do not make the mistake of locking your car in a garage as the heat and humidity will promote growth of fungus, besides lending a pungent smell to your car’s interiors. And get a car perfume. Now, drive out and enjoy the rains. 

With the monsoons well and truly here we are usually reminded of piping hot drinks to warm up the cold wet days. While the lush greenery that the monsoon brings might make your drive more scenic, it also brings along numerous hazards which cannot be overlooked. Here are a few pointers to help you breeze past this season with safety and style.

With the car having to bear the brunt of the lashing rains, pot-hole ridden roads, flooding and what not, it is important to keep your car in ship shape with a good pre-monsoon checkup. Here are a few things that need to be looked into specifically.

Tyres 
read depth and tread pattern are of primary importance when it comes to tyres. Assuming the tyres have enough tread depth, a wrong tread pattern may not throw enough water away from the tyres, and cause aquaplaning. 

The rubber compound of your tyre also makes a significant difference at higher speeds.
Under or over-inflated tyres can induce aquaplaning sooner than expected. 
Suspension Geometry 

Suspension affecting driving in the wet may sound strange but it very well does. A wrongly aligned wheel can affect stability due to uneven forces acting up. Wrong steering geometry can further exaggerate this misbehaviour. 

Brakes
Uneven braking force on the four wheels may cause loss of directional stability. Check all the brake pads and replace if necessary. Panic braking instances on wet roads can make the car lose control very easily, in which case a good Antilock braking systems (ABS) can be a saviour.
Wipers

A good set of wiper blades with soft rubber compounds and an even cutting edge will ensure adequate visibility. Do not forget alignment of the blade arms.