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 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 is best handled by easing your foot
off
the accelerator pedal.
If you have the Traction Control System, remember:
It
helps avoid only the acceleration skid.
If
you do not have
this system, or
if
the system is off, then an acceleration
skid is also 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.
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