What to do if you are driving through storms

With nearly 44 million people expected to travel this weekend across the United States and almost 39 million of those expected by auto according to AAA, there is an increased risk of driving through potentially strong to severe storms.

There are a lot of dangers when driving through storms that can heighten the risk for an accident. The best thing people should do is to make sure they are staying active in monitoring storm conditions by checking in with local meteorologists in your area. Make sure to pay attention to the timing of storms to stay off of roadways during this time period.

If you do find yourself driving through a storm with heavy downpours, make sure to have your headlights on while driving. It is a Missouri State law to have your headlights on when windshield wipers are in use. This helps warn other vehicles of your location in times of reduced visibility.

If you find the conditions worsening, some people may turn on their hazard lights on while driving. This is not against any laws in Missouri, but you should make sure to shut them off after conditions improve. If Conditions worsen quickly and your visibility becomes reduced greatly, you should try to pull off into a driveway or business and remain still until conditions improve. If you can not pull off into one of these two options and are forced to pull off into the shoulder of a highway, make sure you pull deep into the shoulder and if possible even into the grass outside the shoulder. Other drivers are at an increased risk of hydroplaning or running into you due to the reduced visibility so you want to maintain more of a distance away from them.

If hail becomes an issue while driving, do not pull underneath overpasses or bridges and stop. This creates a traffic build-up which puts more people at risk of crashing behind you since they may have to stop in a short amount of time.

In the worse case scenario, if a tornado starts to barrel towards you while driving, the best thing you can do is get into a structure such as a nearby business. If this is not an option, you should get low into the car and cover your head with your hands or some type of solid protection. Another option is to find a low lying ditch and lay into this ditch once again protecting your head. At all costs avoid shelter underneath overpasses and bridges as this will act as a wind tunnel which only increases winds from the tornado and allows for an increased risk of injury or death due to debris being thrown around you at increased speeds.