TRANSPORTATION TUESDAY

1
TRANSPORTATION TUESDAY

• Driving safely means adjusting to road and
  traffic conditions.
• When you cant control the conditions, you must
  control your vehicle.

2
SNOW ICE
Slow down at the first sign of rain, snow or
sleet.

• How slow?
• At least 10 mph for rain
• About half normal speed on packed snow
• Slow to a crawl on ice - this is the most
  dangerous surface and sudden actions will quickly
  make you skid

• REMEMBER
• on corners or bends - you will skid more easily
• brake progressively on the straight part so that
  your vehicle is slow enough to take the bend
  safely
• steer gently round the corner - avoid sudden
  movements
• find a safe place on the straight to gently test
  your brakes
• if the steering is unresponsive then you are
  probably on ice

• ice or snow?
• tyres on ice make virtually no noise
• tyres on snow make a crunchy or slushy sound

3
SAND, GRAVEL, DIRT TRACKS

• You do not have as much grip on sand, gravel or
  dirt as you do on asphalt (black top) roads

• slow your vehicle
• stay back from other vehicles - beware of
• dust clouds that hide what is in front and at the
  side of you
• stones flying from other vehicles tyres
• give yourself extra space and time for overtaking
• accelerate and brake gently

• if you lose control and leave the road
• brake gently to slow the vehicle gradually
• do not try to steer back onto the road - this may
  cause you to flip over - keep in a straight line
  if you can
• allow the vehicle to come to a complete stop
  before attempting to rejoin the road
• beware of ruts that will take control of your
  tyres

4
WATER

• Your vehicle can take as much as twice as long to
  stop on a wet road as compared to a dry road

• stay back so that you can
• see and plan ahead
• avoid spray from other vehicles
• stop in time

If you have driven through deep water - find a
safe place to check your brakes. Gently
applying pressure for a while will help dry out
brakes that are wet.

• Hydroplaning when your tyres lose contact with
  the road
• most tyres have good traction up to about 35 mph
• when you go faster, your tyres ride up in the
  water (like waterski-ing)
• in heavy rain your tyres may lose contact with
  the road at 50mph
• worn tyres will lose traction at much slower
  speeds

• Recover from hydroplaning
• ease your foot off the gas pedal you will feel
  the tyres gripping again
• keep the steering wheel straight only try to
  turn if its an emergency
• if you must turn, do it SLOWLY or you will SKID
• do not try to stop or turn until your tyres are
  gripping to road again

5
in all bad weather conditions

• stay well back from all other vehicles - if
  someone cuts into the space, fall back to keep a
  safe distance
• keep your windscreen clear
• think twice before overtaking - you dont know
  what the conditions ahead are
• put your headlights on dipped
• do not put on your hazard lights unless you are
  in an accident
• make sure your tyres are in good condition and at
  the correct pressure
• make sure someone knows your route and when you
  expect to arrive - and what to do if you miss
  your deadline

6
if in doubt dont go out