The real impact of full hydroplaning on driving safety.

Since its discovery at the end of the 1950's, hydroplaning has been a matter of concern for drivers on wet roads because it can affect driver safety. Indeed, this phenomenon can lead to a complete loss of contact between the tire and the road caused by the layer of water that develops between them, resulting in a complete loss of longitudinal and lateral grip. Although the phenomenon of hydroplaning is about 60 years old, it is almost impossible to find any scientific estimation of how frequently vehicle accidents can be caused by hydroplaning, especially in Europe. To cover this gap, the well-known German In-Depth Accident Study (GIDAS) project has assisted to conduct a study. Thanks to GIDAS, it was possible to identify a sufficient number of cases on wet roads including a high accuracy of information about relevant parameters. With a physical analysis of all the cases, it was possible to compute the probability for an accident case to be in a full hydroplaning situation. This allowed for a precise estimate of the real importance of full hydroplaning situations on accident occurrence, which appears to be a much rarer accident cause than most drivers think.