High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Aquaplaning or hydroplaning by the tires of a road vehicle, aircraft or roller coaster occurs when a layer of water builds between the wheels of the vehicle and the road surface, leading to a loss of traction that prevents the vehicle from responding to control inputs. If it occurs to all wheels simultaneously, the vehicle becomes, in effect, an uncontrolled sled. Aquaplaning is a different phenomenon from water on the roadway merely acting as a lubricant. Traction is diminished on wet pavement even when aquaplaning is not occurring.