Driving - Safety Margins

What is a personal safety margin?

The space you leave for yourself around your car, like between yourself on other cars and things

List two ways you can keep control of your car?

Not coasting ( Travelling in neutral, with the clutch down for extended periods of time or at all

Avoiding excessive braking on hills as it reduces how effective the brakes are over time

In icy weather how much space should you leave between yourself and another car and why?

20 second gap

Stopping distance can be up to 10 times more in icy weather

What precautions should you take in heavy rain?

• Lower acceleration

• Don’t break until the steering feels normal

  • Steering gets light in heavy rain as the tyres lift off the ground and skate on the water (aquaplaning)

What precautions should you take in freezing weather?

• Be prepared to stop at all times

• Remove ice and snow from mirrors before you drive

  • By hand or windscreen

• Keep speed down

What precautions should you take in hot weather?

• Use arm signals if you feel like drivers won’t see your indicators

• Road becomes soft so (soft roads can reduce grip)

  • Avoid harsh movements

  • Reduce your speed

  • Increase stopping distance

What precautions should you take in fog?

• Slow down cause you can’t see far ahead

• Increase stopping distance

• dipped headlights

• fog lights when fog falls below

  • 100 metres

What precautions should you take in strong wind?

• Be aware of certain vehicles

  • high sided

  • vehicles towing - trailers/caravans/other vehicles

  • motorcyclists

  • cyclists

As they’re more susceptible to being blown off course by strong winds

How can you reduce the effects of skidding?

• Drive at low speeds

• Drive in the highest gear you can use effectively and safely

• Be aware of road signs and markings so you can anticipate skidding

  • Slow down before hazards are a risk

  • Avoid sudden movements