Bends

To deal effectively and safely with bends, you should look well ahead and try to assess accurately

• how severe the bend is
• the speed at which you need to be travelling to negotiate the bend under control.

Where vision is restricted, be prepared for

• oncoming vehicles
• obstructions such as broken-down or slow-moving vehicles
• pedestrians walking on your side of the road.

You should

• use the footbrake to control your speed on approach to the bend
• choose the right gear for the speed at which you’re now driving
• use the accelerator carefully
• steer to hold the correct line through the bend.

Positioning on bends

Left-hand bend

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.

Right-hand bend

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.

Speed when approaching bends

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

• type and condition of the road
• sharpness of the bend
• camber of the road
• visibility
• weather conditions.

Camber

The camber of a road is the angle at which the road normally slopes away from the centre to help drainage.

Adverse camber

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.

Banking

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.

Adjusting your speed going into a bend Don’t go into a bend too fast. If necessary, reduce speed before you enter the bend.

You can reduce your speed by taking your foot off the accelerator and

• allowing your speed to fall naturally, or by
• using the footbrake progressively and, if necessary, changing to a lower gear.

Your speed should be at its lowest before you begin to turn.

Braking on a bend

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.

Acceleration

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

• how sharp it is
• whether there are any static or moving hazards.

You’ll have to judge

• the position you should be in
• the best speed for the corner or bend
• the gear most suitable for that speed.

Make sure that

• your speed is at its lowest before you start the turn
• you use the accelerator so that the engine is doing just enough work to drive the vehicle round the bend without going faster.

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.

Gears

Make sure you select the correct gear before you enter the bend. You need both hands on the steering wheel as you’re turning.

Steering

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.

Load

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

• extra passengers
• heavy objects in the boot
• objects on the roof rack.

Tyre pressures

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.

Negotiating the bend

Look ahead

Look well ahead for any indications, such as road signs, warnings and road markings, which will tell you

• the type of bend
• the direction the road takes
• how sharp the bend is
• whether the bend is one of a series.

Assess the situation

Ask yourself

• How dangerous does it seem? Remember, if the word ‘slow’ is painted on the road, that means there’s a hazard and you need to respond to it safely.
• What if there’s an obstruction on the bend, such as a slow-moving or parked vehicle?
• Are there likely to be pedestrians on your side of the road? Is there a footpath?
• Is there an adverse camber? Remember that on a right-hand bend an adverse camber could make your vehicle veer to the left.

Always drive so you can stop safely within the limit of your vision. Where your view is restricted, adjust your speed accordingly.

Approach with care

As you approach, follow the Mirrors – Signal – Manoeuvre (MSM)/Position – Speed – Look (PSL) routine. Before you reach the bend

• take up the best position for the type of bend
• adjust your speed, if necessary, and select the most suitable gear.

Entering the bend

As you enter the bend, press the accelerator just enough to keep

• the wheels gripping
• the vehicle under full control.

After you begin to turn

Avoid heavy braking, except in an emergency.

Stopping on a bend

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.

At night

On unfamiliar roads, the lights of oncoming traffic may help you to plan ahead. However, negotiating bends at night has its own hazards.

• Anticipate hazards around the bend.
• Be prepared to be affected by the lights of oncoming traffic, especially on right-hand bends. Don’t be taken by surprise.
• Dip your headlights in advance for oncoming traffic approaching the bend, especially on left-hand bends.

A series of bends

Double and multiple bends are almost always signed. Take note of

• road signs
• double white lines
• arrows directing you to move to the left.

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

• drive at a safe speed
• keep the right amount of load on the engine and the right amount of grip on the road.

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.

Defensive driving

Always be on the lookout for other vehicles creating dangerous situations, such as

• a vehicle overtaking too close to a bend
• a vehicle approaching a bend too fast
• oncoming vehicles straddling the centre lines
• oncoming vehicles skidding in bad weather
• a vehicle waiting to turn into a concealed entrance.

Limit points

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.