What should you do if your vehicle starts to hydroplane?

When a vehicle starts to hydroplane, it means that it’s sliding on a layer of water between the tires and the road, which can lead to loss of control. The best action to take in this scenario is to steer gently in the direction you want to go. This allows you to regain control and guide the vehicle back on its intended path without making abrupt movements that could exacerbate the situation.

Gently steering helps to stabilize the vehicle, as it minimizes the chances of overcorrection which can lead to spinning out or further loss of traction. It’s crucial to maintain a calm and steady hand on the steering wheel, rather than making aggressive maneuvers such as hard braking or accelerating which can worsen hydroplaning.

The other choices, while they might seem like reasonable responses in a different context, lead to further complications. Braking hard can cause the wheels to lock up, which would worsen the loss of control. Accelerating in an attempt to get over water would likely increase the speed of hydroplaning. Turning off traction control is not advisable in this situation, as traction control helps to maintain vehicle stability. Thus, steering gently in the desired direction is the safest and most effective response to regaining control of a hydroplaning vehicle