When inclement weather strikes, drivers need to be prepared to handle all of the perils of a storm from wind to rain and even hail. Even with all of the safety measures taken, however, it is still possible for a conscientious driver to fall victim to hydroplaning. Hydroplaning occurs when there is water present between the tread of the tire and the road in a great enough quantity to prevent the tires from achieving traction. 

If water builds up between the rubber tires of a vehicle and a road surface, the tires cannot gain traction on the surface. This leads to a lack of traction and prevents the vehicle from responding to commands like turning or braking. This becomes more obvious with more tires prevented from making contact with the road. When all of the wheels are the victims of hydroplaning at the same time, the vehicle basically becomes an uncontrollable sled.
 
In addition to being a serious danger for cars that are out and about during a storm, an airplane trying to land in a storm or with water on the runway can be subject to the dangers. Also, rollercoasters operating on wet tracks can hydroplane as well.

Hydroplaning is so dangerous because it minimizes or negates a huge number of the safety features that have been installed on cars. Any benefit that good tires have for avoiding car accidents is also negated because the tires are, basically, not in operation for anything other than pontoons. In addition to minimizing the number safety features, anything on a car that changes direction or speed is compromised as well. This is because direction and speed rely on friction between the tires and the road. This means that speeding up, slowing down, turning, changing lanes, and a wide variety of other things are just not possible because of a layer of water. This increases the odds that the tires will slip and that the driver will lose control of his or her vehicle.

One thing that many people do wrong in wet weather is continue to use cruise control. This is, quite possibly the worst thing to do in the event that there is even a chance of hydroplaning. If the car's tires lose contact with the road, the cruise control feature will try to compensate for the lack of information relating to speed by supplying more power to the tires. This means that when the car makes contact again, it is likely to go completely out of control.
 
Hydroplaning is a serious threat to any driver or passenger's safety. As a result, driving during rain is a serious threat and should be taken seriously.