Defensive Driving - Cornering
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Significantly, one of the major drivers for the promo is the excitement of owning a best-in-class compact car, all-new KIA Rio. “With the commitment to partner organizations for the sole aim of rewarding customers, our partnership with Total Nigeria Plc in the promo flows from KIA brand’s pedigree to offer pleasant surprises to customers at every touch point. Cornering means driving a vehicle round a corner, curve or bend. When approaching a bend the first assessment you need to make is how sharp the bend is. If you get this wrong you may find yourself skidding and losing control of your car. The four key principles of safe cornering are: - Your vehicle should be in the right position on the approach - You should be travelling at the right speed for the corner or bend - You should have the right gear for that speed - You should be able to stop on your own side of the road in the distance you can see to be clear The safe driving tips and good driving practices for dealing with bends or corners are: - As you drive towards a bend apply the MSPSL routine. - Reduce your speed in good time and select a lower gear if needed, as this will give you more control. It can be dangerous to change gear whilst cornering as it means removing your hand from the steering wheel. - As you enter the bend turn the steering wheel smoothly and progressively - You should not be braking as you steer round the bend. - For the best grip, the engine should be ‘under acceleration’. This doesn’t mean you should increase your speed in the bend, but means the engine should be pulling the car. When taking a right-hand bend or corner, position your vehicle towards the centre line so that you get an early view of the bend. Do not get too close to the right, as this is likely to restrict your view of the road ahead and give you little time to deal with hazards in the bend. The other thing to consider is reducing the tightness of the curve through which you drive. As you enter the bend turn the steering wheel smoothly and progressively. When taking a left-hand bend or corner, position your vehicle towards the right of your road space, as this will increase your zone of vision into the bend; keep you out of the path of approaching traffic; and give you more time to deal with any other hazard in the bend. As you leave a bend, check your mirrors and gently accelerate to a speed that is appropriate for the road and traffic conditions. Avaluable aid to observation a bend or corner is the limit point, as it gives you a systematic way of judging the correct speed through a bend or corner. The limit point is the furthest point along a road to which you have an uninterrupted view of the road surface. On a level stretch of road this will be where the left-hand side of the road appears to intersect with the right-hand side of the road. This point of intersection is known as the limit point. To drive safely you must be able to stop on your own side of the road within the distance you can see to be clear – that is, the distance between you and the limit point. The technique of limit point analysis is to match your speed to the speed at which the limit point appears to move. If it is getting closer you should continue to reduce your speed until the limit point begins to move with you and your view opens up again, you can the accelerate. Taking a bend becomes even trickier when the road surface is wet. In the wet your tyres will have less grip with the road. Take a bend too quickly, whether in the wet or not, and you are likely to lose grip and skid out of control.
Stephen K. Dieseruvwe
DirectorGeneral,DeltaStateTraffic ManagementAuthority(DESTMA) **Driver TrainerandRoadSafety Consultant **Email:sdieseruvwe@gmail.com **Tel:+2348167814928