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Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder and
start your
left
lane change signal before moving out
of
the
right lane to pass. When
you
are far enough
ahead
of
the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
if
your right outside mirror is convex,
the
vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from
you
than
it
really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing,
it
may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If
you’re being passed, make
it
easy for the
following driver to get ahead
of
you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
Loss
of
Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet
the
road to do what the driver has asked.
In
any emergency, don’t give
up.
Keep trying to steer and
constantly seek an escape route or area
of
less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control
of
the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions.
But
skids are
always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren’t rolling.
In
the steering or cornering skid,
too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires
to
slip and
lose cornering force. And
in
the acceleration skid, too
much throttle causes the driving wheels
to
spin.
A
cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If
your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid
if
it
occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust
your
driving to these
conditions. It is important to slow down
on
slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
4-13
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