LAKE COUNTY — During the first shower of the rainy season Friday afternoon, a van crashed into a house on the southwest corner of Eleventh and Forbes streets in Lakeport. Authorities reminded the public to slow down and take extra care on newly wet streets.
“It looks like the driver lost control due to the rain,” investigating officer Destry Henderson of the Lakeport Police Department said.
No one was injured, and the house is structurally intact, minus a boot-sized chunk of stucco on its north side.
The 12:10 p.m. incident was the first of five weather-related traffic accidents countywide Friday afternoon, according to California Highway Patrol officer Adam Garcia.
Ambulances were responding to two accidents on Highway 20 and one on Highway 175 Hopland, and minor injuries were reported in an accident on Highway 29 at Bell Park Avenue.
“The rainy season is upon us and I want to remind everyone that roads get extremely slippery after the first rain. The cause is a film of oil that accumulates on the roadway and rises when the rain begins to fall. This creates a slip-and-slide effect,” Garcia said.
Garcia additionally warned drivers to avoid hydroplaning, which is when rainwater builds up between a vehicle”s tires and the road and traction is broken.
“It results when the tread channels on your tire cannot conduct all the water from between your tire and the road, and the tire is forced to ride on top of the water that”s between them, like surfing,” Garcia said.
The risk of hydroplaning increases with speed, according to Garcia, and the risk is least when a vehicle is traveling 35 mph or less.
According to a Friday CHP press release, 106 people were killed and 7,696 people were injured in traffic accidents that occurred during rainy, snowy or foggy conditions in 2007.
The CHP recommends that while driving in bad weather, drivers should slow down, allow plenty of time for travel, make sure tires are in good condition and properly inflated, make sure windshield wipers are in good condition, turn on headlights while windshield wipers are running continuously, and look as far ahead of the vehicle as possible.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
