by Billy Kobin, Louisville Courier Journal –
With the threat of flooding, it’s always best to avoid driving through standing water as cars can easily stall and become stranded. Wochit
Louisville is getting doused with rain this week, and given that Kentucky drivers tend to struggle with any type of precipitation, you may want to stay off the roads.
Don’t believe that drivers here are not good in the rain?
Well, a study backs up that bad reputation, placing Kentucky as the third most dangerous state for driving in the rain.
Yikes.
SafeWise, a national safety organization, analyzed the number of fatal car crashes due to rain in each state using 2016 crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Weather Service statistics.
The group then used the data to calculate the rate of crashes due to inclement weather per 100,000 people in each state.
Kentucky had 67 fatal car crashes in the rain in 2016, or 1.51 incidents per 100,000 people, according to the SafeWise study.
Only Mississippi (1.54 crashes per 100,000) and Arkansas (1.65 crashes per 100,000) ranked above Kentucky for most dangerous states to drive in when it’s raining.
As the winter months draw closer, SafeWise also ranked the top 10 most dangerous states for driving in the snow.
Some good news: Kentucky was not among the worst states for driving in the snow.
That might surprise some here in Louisville, where snow can lead to chaos on the roads.
Overall, more than 2,800 lives were lost because of snow and rain on American roads in 2016, according to federal statistics.
Stay safe when it rains! Here are some driving tips
To stay safe on wet and snowy roads, SafeWise recommends drivers follow several simple steps
- Check the tires, wipers, fluids, lights and indicators — make sure they’re in working order and ready for wet, snowy, icy or slushy roads.
- Always clear ice and snow from windows before driving.
- Turn on lights for visibility.
- Always use indicators when changing lanes and turning.
- Stay about 20 seconds behind other cars in case you have to stop suddenly.
- Don’t slam on the brakes.
- If your car begins to slide, turn into the direction of the slide.
- Wear your seat belt.
Billy Kobin: [email protected], 502-582-7030. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.
Setting up our camera at 2nd and Jefferson St., it didn’t take us long to find motorist ignoring red lights. Scott Utterback, Louisville Courier Journal