Challenging Driving Conditions

1. Challenging Driving Conditions Chapter 14

2. 14-1 Reduced Visibility Traffic death rates are 3 times higher at night than the day 90 percent of a driver’s ability to react depends on vision, which is severely limited at night Harder to determine size, speed, color, and distance of objects ahead of you

3. 14-1 Reduced Visibility • Looking beyond your headlights • Headlights can give you a false sense of security • At night, a person with 20/20 daylight vision can be reduced to 20/50 • Narrow width of headlight beams can limit your view • Always try to look beyond your headlights • Scan beyond the center of the lane • Reduce your speed and increase your space cushion • Look for flashes of light in the distance to signal the presence of another vehicle or traffic signals • Watch for reflections off of signs, roadway markings, and pedestrian clothing

4. 14-1 Reduced Visibility • Looking beyond your headlights (cont.) • Avoid using lights inside your vehicle while driving at night • Reduces vision • Breaks concentration • Overdriving Your Headlights • Traveling at speeds that prevent you from stopping within the distance lighted by your headlights • 1. select a fixed object ahead of your vehicle the moment your headlights pick it up • 2. count off 6 seconds • 3. is the object in front of you or behind you?

5. 14-1 Reduced Visibility • Cont. • Understand that while speed limits are posted, they may not be ideal for nighttime as they are for daytime • Make sure headlights are aimed and working properly • Aiming too high or too low affects your vision and others as well • Replace lights if they get burned out • Illegal and dangerous

6. 14-1 Reduced Visibility • High and Low Beams • When traveling on dark or poorly lit roads with little oncoming traffic, use your high beams • Switch to low beams when oncoming traffic gets close, or you see taillights of vehicles in front of you • Blinded by the Light • If you approach someone with their high beams on, reduce speed and look to the right side of the road • If someone behind you has their high beams on, use the “night” setting of your rearview mirror • Don’t wear sunglasses or have excessive tint

7. 14-1 Reduced Visibility • Dawn and Dusk • Lights should be turned on from a ½ hour after sunset to a ½ hour before sunrise Or • Any time your cannot see 1,000 feet in front of you • If you are not sure, turn them on

8. 14-1 Reduced Visibility • Sunshine Glare • Can affect your vision and contribute to driver fatigue • Maintain extra space cushioning • Look in each direction one extra time at an intersection • Activate signals sooner

9. 14-2 Challenging Road Conditions • Unpaved or Gravel Roads • Dirt and loose gravel can reduce traction • “Fishtailing” • Stopping distance is increased, as well as following distance • Use tire tracks used by other vehicles • Possibly have headlights on when driving through dirt clouds

10. 14-2 Challenging Road Conditions • Deep Sand or Mud • Unpaved roads may have stretches of deep sand • Rain can also cause unpaved roads to be undrivable muddy messes • Even a small amount can make unpaved roads slippery • Always approach muddy roads with caution • Avoid sudden stops and sharp turns • Maintain a fast enough speed so that the vehicle keeps its traction

11. 14-2 Challenging Road Conditions • What if you get stuck? • First, try to back out using the tracks you just created • If that doesn’t work…”Rock Out”! • Using a low gear, slowly start the car forward keeping the wheels straight. Gently step on the gas pedal. Do not spin the wheels • Go forward as far as you can. Press the brake and hold the car in place as you shift quickly into reverse. • Back up slowly as far as you can, step on brake and hold, shift back into low gear and go forward again. • Repeat rapidly, rocking the vehicle free • If “Rocking Out” doesn’t work • Find some rough materials and stick them under the stuck tire(s) to give you better traction • Make sure no one is behind the vehicle, as these materials can be thrown

12. 14-2 Challenging Road Conditions • Potholes • A hole in the roadway surface caused by weather, overuse, or a combination of both • Hitting a pothole can do serious damage to the vehicle • If you hit a large pothole, reduce speed, pull over, and check your vehicle • If tire pressure gets lost, go to a gas station or mechanic to get it checked • Dips • Usually marked with warning signs and speed reduction signs • Some are natural and others are intentionally put there to promote runoff

13. 14-2 Challenging Road Conditions • Shoulders and Drop-Offs • Shoulders • Shoulders are a continuation of the pavement or other stable surface that extends beyond the road boundary lane • Designed to provide space for disabled vehicles, work crews, and evasive maneuvers in emergencies • Reduce hydroplaning and channel water away from the travel lanes • Increase distance between motorists and pedestrians or bicyclists • Soft Shoulders • Shoulders that either slope downward or do not provide any traction • Found on old rural roads that have not been upgraded • Avoid driving on these unless necessary • Drop-Offs • Areas where terrain literally drops off from the edge of the roadway without any shoulder • Most commonly found on mountain roads and on elevated roadways

14. 14-2 Challenging Road Conditions • Narrow Roads • Very little room for error • Sometimes there is not enough clearance for two cars • Communicate to other drivers • Bridges and Tunnels • Both can be noisy, making it difficult to hear other vehicles • Don’t look over the edge of a bridge • They often have narrow lanes

15. 14-3 Challenging Terrain • Hills • Consider the force of gravity on your vehicle • Steepness of the grade, speed you are traveling, and weight of your vehicle can affect how you drive • When driving uphill, you are driving against gravity • You need more power to keep moving at the same speed • Once you find a comfortable speed, keep your foot there until the road starts to level off • When driving uphill, you are driving with gravity • You need less power to keep moving at the same speed • Coast or brake if needed until the road levels out