We hope you are enjoying the fall season with the beautiful colors all around us. We know the fall foliage is advancing very quickly. The Adirondack mountains are past peak, but much of New York State is now at peak conditions and even the Rochester area is probably around the midpoint.

However, also try to remember there are some hidden hazards that are specific for this time of the year. When you are driving and you have wet leaves on the ground, some travelers can get into trouble when we have a steady rain. Emergency stopping with wet leaves can be a significant issue because stopping distances can change drastically. You may not know that if conditions are just right the wet leaves can cause your car go into a skid. For example, at speeds near 40 miles per hour and roads when dry you can stop pretty quickly – maybe within 80 feet. But if the roadway is wet and you have a thick blanket wet leaves it can make the stopping distance significantly increase. At times, this stopping distance can more than double.

We have a couple of simple recommendations to deal with this potentially slippery roadway. First, make sure you have good tread on you tires. This is always a good idea even when going into the snow season. Second, try not to jam on the car breaks as the car is more likely to skid on wet leaves. And lastly, increase the distance between you and the next car.

Lets stay safe during the fall and winter season.