April Showers and Auto Insurance: Tips for Navigating Rainy Weather

Many parts of the United States can expect to encounter a higher number of rain showers throughout the month of April, which can potentially lead to hazardous driving conditions due to wet pavement and reduced visibility. As a result, it’s important to practice safe driving habits and make sure you have sufficient car insurance coverage.

Read on to learn more about April showers and auto insurance including what coverage types can protect you if you get into a weather-related accident and whether the old adage about April showers bringing May flowers really holds up.

On This Page

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  Is It Common for It To Rain in April?

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  Are Car Accidents More Frequent During Rainy Weather?

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  How Can I Drive Safely During April Showers?

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  Does My Car Insurance Cover an Accident Caused by Rain?

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  How To Get Car Insurance for Rainy Days

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  FAQs

Is It Common for It To Rain in April?

It is common for it to rain in April but April showers tend to produce less rain and flooding than storms in some other months do. Despite the fact that April has a high rate of rain showers in terms of the frequency of precipitation, it is only the fifth-wettest month of the year on average in terms of the quantity of precipitation experienced across the United States. In contrast, June is the month when Americans generally encounter the greatest amount of rainfall.^[1]

Are Car Accidents More Frequent During Rainy Weather?

Rain can lead to an uptick in car accidents because it can make it harder to see the road ahead of you and it can also cause wet pavement, which lessens your vehicle’s traction and makes it harder to steer. Each year, there are roughly 5,700 traffic fatalities and 544,700 traffic injuries due to wet pavement on average. In addition, an average of around 3,400 people die and 357,300 people incur injuries as a result of car accidents that happen while it is actively raining every year.^[2]

How Can I Drive Safely During April Showers?

Considering following these tips to keep your family safe by reducing your risk of getting into a car crash while driving in stormy weather:[3]

• Check your vehicle before you hit the road: It’s important to make sure your vehicle is in good condition before you start driving through the rain. In particular, you need to make sure your windshield wipers and lights are working properly so you can see other drivers and they can see you as well as possible. You should also check your tire pressure and tread depth since these can indicate how well your tires will be able to maintain traction on the road.
• Don’t use cruise control: You need to have as much control of your vehicle as possible when driving in the rain, which means you may want to forego the convenience of cruise control. If other cars start to slow down in front of you or your car begins to lose traction, you need to be able to slow down steadily by lifting your foot off of the gas pedal rather than engaging the brakes, which isn’t possible when the cruise control feature is turned on.
• Reduce your speed: As a general rule, you should drive slower in the midst of rainfall than you normally would and leave more distance between your car and other vehicles. Keep in mind that driving fast, braking hard and turning the steering wheel sharply all have the potential to cause you to lose control of your vehicle if there is a significant amount of water on the road.
• Be ready to react if you start hydroplaning: It’s possible for rainwater to get in between your tires and the road and cause your vehicle to start skidding. If you feel your car start to hydroplane, don’t panic and slam on the brakes or aggressively swerve to try to regain control. Instead, simply ease off the gas pedal, lightly pump your brakes if necessary and steer your car in the direction you need to go until you are fully in control of the vehicle again.

Does My Car Insurance Cover an Accident Caused by Rain?

Car insurance companies generally don’t exclude coverage for weather-related accidents, so your auto policy should broadly provide coverage in case you get into an accident while you are driving in the rain. State-mandated liability insurance can cover another person’s medical expenses or property repair bills if you are found to be at fault for a crash. Similarly, the other driver’s liability insurance should cover you if they are responsible for the collision.

Meanwhile, if you are the at-fault driver in an accident that injures you or your passengers, then your personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments coverage (Medpay) can take care of your subsequent hospital bills. In addition, your collision insurance can help you pay to repair or replace your vehicle if you collide with another car or object or if you roll your car over without crashing into anything else.

If you are concerned that your liability coverage limits aren’t high enough, you could also purchase umbrella insurance.

An umbrella policy can provide millions of dollars worth of additional coverage in case a claim exhausts the coverage limits of the liability coverage portion of your car insurance policy or the personal liability coverage portion of your homeowners insurance policy. However, you may not qualify for umbrella insurance unless you already have $250,000 worth of liability car insurance and $300,000 worth of personal liability insurance.^[4]

How To Get Car Insurance for Rainy Days

The best way to find car insurance for April showers is to hunt for quotes from around three to five different insurance companies so you can compare prices. To receive a quote, you’ll need to provide information such as your driving record, vehicle make and model, date of birth and more.

You can simplify this process by working with an online insurance marketplace platform like SmartFinancial. All you have to do is answer a few questions about your insurance needs and budget and then we’ll get you in touch with agents who can help you compare quotes, sometimes after only a few minutes. Get started on the process of receiving auto insurance quotes for free by clicking here.