Your vehicle starts to hydroplane on a wet freeway. What should you do?

Why

Hydroplaning means the tires are riding on a film of water and have lost all contact with the road. At that moment the vehicle will not respond normally, and a sudden input, a slight change of direction, a stab at the brakes or even a gust of wind, can throw it into a skid. The handbook's answer is to slow down gradually and stay off the brakes until the tires touch pavement again. Braking hard is the reflex that causes the loss of control, and accelerating only keeps the tires planing. To avoid it in the first place: drive slowly in the rain, steer around standing water when you can, and slow down when you hear the tires sloshing or before changing lanes or direction.