How the Mumbai Rains Messed with Me Driving a Car

Whenever it rains in Mumbai, the entire metropolitan becomes a massive swimming pool, at least most of the times. I have been to Delhi as well, and it is no fun to admit that our national capital also comes to halt whenever we experience heavy rains in the country. However, I have, sort of, made peace with such situations and I just tackle my car rather than lecturing around everyone. The first thing that I do is to get my car serviced and have the brakes in immaculate condition so that they do not fall flat whenever there is an emergency.

I try to drive at a modest speed rather than speeding too much because no matter how perfectly my car works, the car may skid on wet roads. It has happened with me once when I was in my early twenties. I was driving at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour, and I had to apply the brakes immediately to escape hitting a kid on the road. I did not hurt that child, but the car skidded, and I banged into an electricity tower. After that day, I made a mental note never to race with anyone when it is raining.

Since I am fond of road trips, I rarely avoid driving when it rains. However, I prefer not to drive after dark while the water is still pouring from the sky. I have driven once or twice during heavy rains during the night time, and it feels scary as hell. I have realized that it is no use driving at a speed of 20-30 kilometers per hour just to reach a place, which I might never do at all in case something worse happens. The truck drivers in India are infamous for their notorious driving skills. Even if I give my best efforts to drive carefully, I have seen these guys driving without caring for anyone else’s life. That is why; it is better to stay away from them, especially during rains and foggy winters.

I also prefer to use headlights and taillights to keep my car as visible as possible during rains. I had hired cheap car rentals once to go for a road trip to Goa. However, I ended up paying a lot of money on repairs of the car because it did not perform well on the slippery roads. It is another story that the company reimbursed my bills following their policies.

The last thing to keep in mind while bearing heavy rains is that I never park my car under a tree or near electric wires looming over. Both these things can fall over the car, and the wires may even electrocute the car in the worst circumstance. I have seen this happening with someone’s car in front of a Mumbai mall, and I took a lesson from that incident. Better be safe than sorry. I don’t want to die in a car, at least, even in my worst nightmare.