Surface water on motorways…

[Orangesandlemons4]

So this morning I had quite a scary experience on an A road which is basically like a motorway - it had 3 lanes.

It wasn’t raining hard but obviously had been overnight and the roads I would describe were “damp”. There was spray from other cars but it wasn’t that busy as was around 9am.

Anyway I was overtaking a car on the inside lane, going about 73mph. All of a sudden there was a fair amount of surface water on the side of the lane (so nearest the central reservation). I heard quite loud noise from the car going over the water and felt the car was slightly skidding. I felt like if I had braked it would have caused it to skid (not sure if that would have happened though?).

Anyway, it really shook me up and for the rest of the journey I went about 55mph in the outside lane. I saw so many cars whizz by and it just got me thinking about driving on motorways in wet weather. If I am honest it’s scared me a bit because this has never happened to me before in wet weather, and I thought motorways weren’t supposed to flood, or collect water? Also, does this only happen on the outside or inside lanes, and not in the middle lane / s?

I was driving this evening in really heavy rain on the M1. For the first time in my 35 years of driving there were police cars on both sides of the carriageway blocking off the inside lane which (at least on the side I was on) was completely covered with rain water.
Preventative measure. Most cars were driving no more than 45mph and keeping a good distance.

@fivechairs

If you skid, steer into the skid. It can be scary as all of this goes against what feels natural but it's the safest thing to do.
This always puzzles me. Why would you steer any way other than into the skid? Why would anyone steer the other way? That feels counterintuitive

@Flopsythebunny

You were speeding and you aquaplained. Perhaps you'll drive more carefully when the roads are wet next time
Maybe don't quote the whole OP next time. It drives people mad. It's unnecessary. We know what you are replying to .

Because of your car starts skidding towards the central reservation/across lanes/towards a ditch the natural instinct is to steer away from that.

This has happened to me and it also scared me, I’m more careful these days not to drive too fast for the conditions. You’re right about not braking - you need to take your foot off the accelerator and steer into the skid.

I've been on German roads where signs indicate a lower speed limit "bei nässe", i.e. when it's wet. Here, you're expected to drive to the conditions.

Maybe you do you and I'll do me?

Concerning that someone with a full driving licence doesn’t know what aqua planing is and how to avoid it.

Didn't you cover aquaplaning when you were a learner driver?

I know it was covered when I was learning, mind that was 30 years ago.

I don't think I covered it in driving lessons (I passed 1991 or 2.) But I did know about it, because mum was doing her Advanced Driving at the same time, so pretty much every journey (we lived rurally) involved her talking everything through, and she also went to a skidpan somewhere, so talked about it.

I don't remember covering aquaplaning when I passed my test in 1989.