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To deal effectively and safely with bends, you should look well ahead and try to assess accurately
Where vision is restricted, be prepared for
You should
Keep to the centre of your lane as you approach.
Don’t move to the centre of the road to improve your view round the bend. This could put you too close to oncoming traffic.
Keep to the left to improve your view of the road, but don’t let a clear view tempt you to enter the bend at too high a speed.
Judging the correct road speed as you approach bends and corners takes practice and experience.
The correct speed is the one that allows you to drive your vehicle around the bend under full control.
That speed will depend on the
The camber of a road is the angle at which the road normally slopes away from the centre to help drainage.
Here the road slopes down towards the outside of the corner and the forces acting on your vehicle could cause it to leave the road more easily than on a normal corner.
On a few bends, such as some motorway slip roads, the outward force may be partly counteracted by banking. This is where the road slopes up towards the outside of the bend.
You can reduce your speed by taking your foot off the accelerator and
Your speed should be at its lowest before you begin to turn.
Try to avoid braking harshly on a bend. This can make your vehicle unstable.
The sharper the bend, the greater the effects of braking while cornering and the more likely the vehicle is to skid.
Don’t confuse ‘using the accelerator’ with ‘accelerating’, which means going faster. When dealing with bends, ‘using the accelerator’ means using it just enough to drive the vehicle around the bend.
The correct speed at a corner or bend will depend on a number of things, including
You’ll have to judge
Make sure that
Too much acceleration can cause the wheels to lose their grip and skid, resulting in the vehicle swinging off course. This is particularly true on rearwheel drive vehicles.
Only increase your speed after you’ve straightened as you leave the bend.
Make sure you select the correct gear before you enter the bend. You need both hands on the steering wheel as you’re turning.
Every vehicle ‘handles’ differently. It’s very important that you get to know how the vehicle you’re driving behaves when you’re steering round a bend.
Some vehicles ‘understeer’: they respond less than you would expect in relation to the amount of steering you use.
Others ‘oversteer’: they respond more than you would expect in relation to the amount of steering you use.
When a car understeers, the front tyres lose grip on the road. The car continues to travel in the same direction it was moving at the moment the tyres lost grip.
When a car oversteers, the rear tyres lose grip on the road and the rear of the car slides out. In severe cases this can lead to the car spinning and a serious loss of control.
To negotiate a bend, corner or junction safely, you must be able to judge how much steering to use.
Any significant change in the centre of gravity of the vehicle or the weight it’s carrying will affect its handling on bends, compared with when it’s lightly loaded.
This change may be caused by
Incorrect tyre pressures can also affect steering. Low pressure and excess pressure can both affect road holding and tyre wear.
Low pressure produces a heavier feel and in severe cases can cause the tyres to overheat.
Excess pressure can affect road holding on bends and increases the risk of skidding.
Look well ahead for any indications, such as road signs, warnings and road markings, which will tell you
Ask yourself
Always drive so you can stop safely within the limit of your vision. Where your view is restricted, adjust your speed accordingly.
As you approach, follow the Mirrors – Signal – Manoeuvre (MSM)/Position – Speed – Look (PSL) routine. Before you reach the bend
As you enter the bend, press the accelerator just enough to keep
Avoid heavy braking, except in an emergency.
Avoid stopping on a bend, except in an emergency.
If you have to stop, do so where following traffic can see you. This is especially important on left-hand bends, where vision can be more limited.
If you can, stop clear of a continuous centre line and give clear warning of any obstruction to other traffic. Use hazard warning lights and, if you have one, an advance warning triangle (or any other permitted warning device); see section 15.
On unfamiliar roads, the lights of oncoming traffic may help you to plan ahead. However, negotiating bends at night has its own hazards.
Double and multiple bends are almost always signed. Take note of
For example, if the second bend follows closely after the first and you haven’t taken notice of the road sign or markings, you could find yourself speeding up when you should be slowing down.
On a winding road, selecting the appropriate gear will help you to
Where there’s a series of bends, they often turn in alternate directions. As soon as you’ve negotiated one, you have to prepare for the next. Look well ahead for changes in the camber of the road, which could affect your control.
Always be on the lookout for other vehicles creating dangerous situations, such as
Understanding limit points, and learning how to use them to improve your driving ability, is an important skill to master.
Simply put, the limit point is the furthest uninterrupted view of the road surface ahead, or the point at which the two verges – left and right – appear to meet.
If the limit point is rushing towards you, then you should slow down and allow yourself more time and space in which to stop.
If the limit point appears to be a constant distance away from you, this indicates that your speed on approach to the bend is correct, providing you can still stop in the distance you can see to be clear.
If the limit point is moving away from you, this indicates that you may start to accelerate as the bend opens out.
The following diagram illustrates the point.