Driving on wet and slick California roads is no big deal to Oklahoma transplant Gina Rey of Stockton.
"It's been kind of a nice rain, ya know. Oklahoma City, I'm used to like huge down pours and storms, so," says Rey.
But Rey is still mindful of what lurks when the rain comes in buckets and drivers don't adjust.
"Knowing that not everybody may not drive safely so just be hyper-vigilant about safety," Rey added.
Mother Nature's relentless pounding of the wet stuff led to a truck crashing into a guard rail on I-5 just past Highway 120 near Manteca this morning before 8:30.
"He subsequently wiped out about 150 feet," said Sgt. Barbara Butler of the Stockton Area CHP. "So it compromised the barrier between the north and southbound sides. We have emergency road crews here to repair the barrier."
CHP has several tips to keep you safe, many common sense:
- Make sure your headlights are on when using your wipers continuously in the rain, snow or fog. It's the law.
- Slow down and allow extra time
- Leave extra distance between you and the car ahead
- Gently apply brakes to avoid skids
- Stay alert for vehicles hydroplaning
Trucker Donta Calloway is hauling olive trees back to Georgia from Northern California.
"You have to be careful because you could easily slide into another tractor that's in front of you or a car that kind of cut in front of you real easy," says Calloway.
Bottom line when out on wet slick roads is something you have heard before but some forget.
"Obvious advice in inclement weather is to slow down," said Sgt. Butler. "Give yourself enough room to react if somebody else is involved in a collision that way you are not sliding into them as well."