While Driving
6-84
Smooth Cornering
Avoid braking or gear changing in
corners, especially when roads are wet.
Ideally, corners should always be taken
under gentle acceleration.
Driving at Night
Night driving presents more hazards than
driving in the daylight. Here are some
important tips to remember:
•
Slow down and keep more distance
between you and other vehicles, as it
may be more difficult to see at night,
especially in areas where there may
not be any street lights.
•
Adjust your mirrors to reduce the glare
from other driver's headlamps.
•
Keep your headlamps clean and
properly aimed. Dirty or improperly
aimed headlamps will make it much
more difficult to see at night.
•
Avoid staring directly at the
headlamps of oncoming vehicles. You
could be temporarily blinded, and it
will take several seconds for your eyes
to readjust to the darkness.
Driving in the Rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous. Here are a few things to
consider when driving in the rain or on
slick pavement:
•
Slow down and allow extra following
distance. A heavy rainfall makes
it harder to see and increases the
distance needed to stop your vehicle.
•
Turn OFF your Cruise Control.
•
Replace your windshield wiper blades
when they show signs of streaking or
missing areas on the windshield.
•
Tires should be properly maintained
with at least 2/32nds of an inch of
tread depth. If your tires do not have
enough tread, making a quick stop on
wet pavement can cause a skid and
possibly lead to an accident.
See "Tire
Tread" in chapter 8.
•
Turn on your headlamps to make it
easier for others to see you.
•
Driving too fast through large puddles
can affect your brakes. If you must go
through puddles, try to drive through
them slowly.
•
If you believe your brakes may be wet,
apply them lightly while driving until
normal braking operation returns.
Hydroplaning
If the road is wet enough and you are
going fast enough, your vehicle may
have little or no contact with the road
surface and actually ride on the water.
The best advice is SLOW DOWN when
the road is wet.
The risk of hydroplaning increases as
the depth of tire tread decreases, refer
to "Tire Tread" in chapter 8.
Driving in Flooded Areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no
higher than the bottom of the wheel hub.
Drive through any water slowly. Allow
adequate stopping distance because
brake performance may be reduced.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them several
times while the vehicle is moving slowly.
