Your tires need to grip the road to do anything useful — steer, brake, all of it. When you’re driving through rain and water builds up faster than your tires can push it aside, that grip disappears. Your tires are basically floating on a thin film of water, and for those few seconds, you’re not really driving anymore. You’re sliding.
That’s hydroplaning.
Here’s the problem: everything your brain wants you to do in that moment is the wrong move. Yanking the steering wheel, stomping the brakes — both of those can send the car into a spin. Nationwide’s driving safety guidance is clear: when you hydroplane, ease off the gas and steer straight. That’s it. Let the car slow down on its own and hold the wheel steady until your tires reconnect with the pavement.
If the car starts drifting sideways, turn the wheel gently in the direction the car is sliding — not hard, not fast. Gentle. Think of it like trying not to make things worse rather than trying to fix things fast.
The whole thing usually lasts just a few seconds, even though it feels way longer when you’re behind the wheel.
A few things worth knowing before you’re ever in that situation: hydroplaning can happen at any speed in wet conditions, not just highways. And if cruise control is on when it happens, turn it off — the sensors that control it aren’t reliable when traction is gone.
The best version of this is never having to deal with it at all. Slow down in the rain. Give more space. Avoid puddles when you can. Your tires handle water better at lower speeds, and that extra buffer between you and the car ahead buys you time to react if something goes wrong.