Heavy rain can change visibility, traction, route conditions, and the time available to respond. This checklist is general driving-safety information, not a determination about a particular roadway, vehicle, or collision.

Decide whether the trip should wait

Before leaving, check DriveNC for closures, incidents, and changing route conditions. NCDOT’s severe-storm travel resources can help identify current travel information. If conditions make the trip unsafe or a route is closed, delay or change plans rather than trying to drive through the disruption.

Check the vehicle before leaving

NCDOT’s wet-weather guidance and NHTSA’s TireWise materials emphasize the role of tires, visibility, and vehicle readiness. Before a rainy trip, check cold tire pressure with a gauge against the vehicle’s tire-information placard or owner’s manual, inspect tread condition, and confirm that wipers, lights, washer fluid, and the defroster are working.

Adjust for what you can see and feel

  • Reduce speed and leave more following distance when rain, spray, darkness, or standing water limits visibility or traction.
  • Use smooth steering, acceleration, and braking inputs; avoid abrupt changes when the road surface is wet.
  • If visibility becomes inadequate, slow and pull over only where it is safe to do so.
  • If standing water, spray, or a loose steering feel develops, ease off the accelerator and avoid abrupt inputs while seeking a safe place to stop.

Do not enter flooded or barricaded roads

The National Weather Service advises drivers not to enter flooded roadways. Water depth, roadway condition, and the force of moving water can be difficult to judge from a vehicle. Treat barricades and closure information as warnings to choose another route.

Keep safety guidance separate from a collision review

Weather conditions alone do not establish why a particular crash occurred. For a separate explanation of bad weather, crash facts, and the limits of a fault analysis, use the related guide. If a collision has already occurred, questions may arise in a Charlotte car-accident claim and require a fact-specific review.

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