HOUSTON – Regardless of where you live or how much rain you get, it’s always important to stay safe, especially while on the roads.
RELATED: Scattered thunderstorms storms in Houston on Election Day bringing heavy downpours, gusty winds
And on Election Day, there will be enough energy to spark strong to severe thunderstorms across SE Texas in the early morning hours.
SEE ALSO: Houston police investigating if wet roads played factor in deadly crash
The main impacts will be gusty winds and heavy downpours as the front moves through.
ASK 2: Is it okay to turn on your hazard lights while driving in inclement weather?
The later that you go out to vote (and please don’t sit this one out!), the less chance for heavy rain, we’ll see things taper off in the afternoon.
KPRC 2 FLOOD TRACKER: Get alerted if flooding is occurring in your immediate area
We saw over a quarter inch of rainfall on Wednesday, which means we are no longer the driest October. In fact, we’re no longer in the top 10 driest Octobers on record.
According to a study by the American Meteorological Society, that analyzed the data of 125,012 deadly crashes over 6 years, found that 34% of those accidents happened during “active rain” and the highest rate of those deadly accidents happened during morning rush hour.
MORE: Essential tools, safety tips for Houstonians driving in the rain
So your weather team asked Joe Khatib from River Oaks Paint & Body to look for dangerous trends on the roadways - especially when we have stormy weather.
What are the common reasons folks get into an accident - especially during a storm?
They’re not paying attention to what’s happening on the roads and they end up hitting their brakes too hard and hydroplane. People need to drive very carefully. Drive slow. Keep your eyes open and your hands on the steering wheel. Because if you don’t do this one more time, well, you’re going to wind up here.
You’ve been in the autobody industry for decades - what are some lessons you’ve learned?
I’ve learned to always keep at least two car lengths between me and the car in front of me. And I know a lot of times, you want to give a little extra space between you and the other car in front of you because the drivers here can be are very aggressive. You have to back off and leave a little more space. Being aggressive back doesn’t work.
When it’s raining, it can be really hard to see a pothole and rain can contribute to the creation of potholes - so what problems have you seen in Houston with potholes and cars?
If you hit a pothole hard enough, you’re going to destroy your suspension. And then your car will have to go to the mechanic shop to fix and replace missing parts. Which is another reminder to not drive in the rain, if you don’t have to and to take it slow while on the roadways -especially when it’s raining.
