What is the weather like in Puerto Rico?
What are driving conditions like in Puerto Rico?
How you can stay safe when you are driving in the rain in Puerto Rico
Conclusion
What is the weather like in Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico has a tropical climate and the weather follows suit. So, this means often times the weather is very warm and beautiful. However, this also means that there is a considerable amount of rainfall too. Remember, Puerto Rico includes the only rainforest in North America, El Yunque. Hence, there is enough rain for an ecosystem like that to thrive.
On average, Puerto Rico receives over 60 inches of rain per year in most places. In many places it rains at least once per day at least half the days of the year. So, as nice as the weather can be, you also see some pretty frequent rain across the island.
What are driving conditions like in Puerto Rico?
Driving conditions in Puerto Rico are simply never too great. This is because traffic laws are only loosely enforced most of the time and many motorists tend to take advantage of that. You will see other drivers routinely driving through red lights and stop signs as well as stopping randomly in the middle of the street for seemingly no reason. You will also come across animals crossing the roads as well as aggressive pedestrians doing the same.
How you can stay safe when you are driving in the rain in Puerto Rico
So, between the frequent rain and pretty poor driving conditions, driving in Puerto Rico can become dangerous quickly. Use the following advice to stay safe when you are driving in the rain in Puerto Rico:
- Keep a safe distance – Always keep some extra space between you and the person in front of you. If you do this, it will allow you more time to brake and you will likely need to suddenly at some point during your drive.
- Try not to have to slam on the brakes – The effectiveness of slamming on your brakes is much lower in rainy conditions. That is because your tires will tend to slide a little bit. Keep a safe distance from other drivers and always pay attention to avoid having to brake too suddenly.
- Keep it slow and defensive rather than fast and aggressive – Do not drive over the speed limit in the rain. In fact, you may even want to drive slightly under the speed limit when it is raining. Do not do anything aggressive like cut someone off. In fact, if you see anyone else driving aggressively in the rain, stay as far away from them as possible.
- Be careful of big puddles – It is nearly impossible to gauge how much water is in a puddle as you drive. Often times, puddles are much larger than they initially seem. When your car drives through a puddle with a bunch of standing water in it, you risk hydroplaning which can lead to a very serious accident. If you can, avoid driving through larger puddles. If you must drive through a large puddle decrease the amount of speed before you arrive at the puddle.
- You can always wait it out – If it is really raining hard, or you are just uncomfortable driving in bad weather in general. You can always choose to wait out the storm. Puerto Rico has its fair share of beautiful weather too for you to drive.
Conclusion
When you are driving in Puerto Rico, conditions on the road are not great. This is primarily because of the general aggressiveness of other drivers. However, driving could be even further complicated by rain. If that is the case, then you should take your time driving and drive with a high level of caution and safety.
