Chapter 14 Challenging Driving Conditions 14-1 REDUCED VISIBILITY A. Complete each of the following sentences by writing the correct word or phrase in the space provided. 1. percent of a driver s ability to react depends on vision. 2. A nighttime crash is twice as likely as a daytime crash to be. 3. At night, a person s 20/20 daylight vision can be reduced to. 4. Avoid using a inside your car while driving at night. 5. headlights make it harder for you to see and can blind other drivers. 6. Give your eyes at least minutes to adjust to the dark before driving at night. 7. Dirt on headlights can reduce their effectiveness by as much as percent. 8. You should switch to when you see the taillights of a vehicle in front of you. 9. Pay very close attention to your driving during hours, the periods of dawn and dusk. 10. Sunshine can make it hard to see and can contribute to driver fatigue. B. Why is night driving so dangerous? C. What does it mean to look beyond your headlights? D. In the space provided, describe the steps to prevent overdriving your headlights. 1. 139
2. 3. E. When are you required by law to dim your headlights? F. What should you do if an approaching driver in the oncoming lanes of traffic forgets to turn off his or her high beams? G. When are you required by law to turn on your headlights? H. Indicate the word or phrase in Column B that best matches each item in Column A by writing the correct letter in the space provided. Column A Column B 1. Sunglasses a. Night setting 2. Low beams b. 500 feet (150 m) 3. Glare guards c. Protects visual purple 4. Rearview mirror d. 6 seconds 5. Reflectors e. Often prohibited 6. Tinting f. Remove at night 7. Overdriving headlights g. 150 feet (45 m) 8. High beams h. Delineators 140
I. CHECK IT OUT. Go with a parent or guardian, or a friend, to a lonely stretch of road lit by overhead lights. Park your car by the right curb well out of the traffic lanes and turn on your headlights. For safety, set up reflectors around your vehicle. Have the other person, equipped with a flashlight to be visible to any other vehicles, walk away from the front of the vehicle until he or she is no longer clearly identifiable to you. Have the other person mark the spot. Switch the headlights to high beams, and have the other person continue walking until he or she is no longer visible. Measure the two distances using the car s odometer. Lit Road Visibility with low beams Visibility with high beams Repeat the entire exercise on an unlit stretch of road, preferably on private property. Remember to dim your headlights if your high beams are on while another vehicle approaches. Unlit Road Visibility with low beams Visibility with high beams 14-2 CHALLENGING ROAD CONDITIONS A. Select the word or phrase that best completes each of the following sentences and write the letter in the space provided. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. When driving on dirt or gravel roads, you should: a. reduce your speed. b. use lower gears. c. increase your following distance. d. All of the above. If you get stuck in mud or deep sand, you should first: a. rock out. b. try to back out. c. let air out of the tires. d. try dry steering. If you have to drive over a pothole, you should: a. depress the vehicle s clutch. b. cover the brake. c. accelerate cautiously. d. slow down. Which of the following is not a purpose of a roadway shoulder? a. Space for disabled vehicles b. Space for work crews c. Space for getting past traffic to exit d. Space for emergency vehicles Soft shoulders are typically found on: a. old highways and rural roads. b. freeways. c. mountain roads. d. bridges. Drop-offs are most common on: a. old highways and rural roads. b. freeways. c. mountain roads. d. bridges. 141
7. 8. 9. 10. Which of the following are usually marked with warning signs? a. Potholes b. Dips c. Soft shoulders d. Drop-offs You will often encounter temporary narrow roads: a. on bridges. b. in tunnels. c. on roads with soft shoulders. d. in construction zones. Which of the following is not a danger associated with bridges? a. Narrow lanes b. Claustrophobia c. Noise d. Fear of heights When driving in tunnels, you should: a. honk your horn. b. turn on your emergency flashers. c. turn on your headlights. d. put on your sunglasses. B. What can you do to increase control on unpaved and gravel roads? C. In the space provided, describe the steps to rock out of deep sand or mud. 1. 2. 3. 4. D. What should you do if you drift onto a soft shoulder? 142
E. What should you do if you encounter an oncoming driver on a narrow stretch of roadway? F. In the space provided, describe how you would apply the SAFE method to negotiating a construction zone. G. How do bridges and tunnels alter your perception of the driving environment? H. For each of the following sentences, circle T if it is true and F if it is false. 1. T F Dirt and loose gravel can cause your vehicle to fishtail at high speeds. 2. T F If rocking out does not work, you should replace the tire that is stuck. 3. T F Cracks in the pavement can often develop into dangerous drop-offs. 4. T F Soft shoulders generally provide better traction than regular shoulders. 5. T F Shoulders help reduce the risk of hydroplaning. I. CHECK IT OUT. Contact your local highway department to find out how to report a dangerous pothole. How much, on average, does it cost to repair one? How long does it take once the report has been made. In the space provided, write down what you discover. 143
Interview a highway construction or maintenance worker. What unique dangers and challenges does he or she face? How is he or she trained to reduce the risk of a collision in a construction zone? Has he or she ever had a close call? If so, what happened? In the space provided, write down what you discover. 14-3 HILLS AND MOUNTAIN ROADS A. Complete each of the following sentences by writing the correct word or phrase in the space provided. 1. When driving on hills, you must consider the force of on your vehicle. 2. When driving, you need more power to keep moving at the same speed. 3. On very steep hills, you should switch to a gear to help the engine work more efficiently. 4. Mountain roads are typically than average roads. 5. Some are so sharp that they reverse directions. 6. Never down a mountain road in neutral or with the clutch disengaged. 7. are illegal as well as dangerous on winding mountain highways with limited visibility. 8. Air is at higher altitudes. 9. If your car is overheating on a mountain road and you cannot pull over, turn on your. 10. At higher altitudes, engines heat faster, and the risk of is greater. B. Which gears should you use when driving on steep hills and mountain roads? C. What should you do if you approach a blind curve on a mountain road? 144
D. What should you do if you get stuck behind a long line of vehicles on a mountain road? E. What should you do if you are holding up traffic on a mountain road? F. CHECK IT OUT. Go to the library or use the Internet to find out how the grade of a road or slope is determined. What is the steepest grade a road can have? Are certain vehicles prohibited from traveling on roads that exceed a certain grade? How sharp a grade does a road have to have to get a special warning sign posted? In the space provided, write down what you discover. Select a popular vacation spot located in the mountains in another jurisdiction. Use the Internet to find out which roads you must take to get there. How long will it take you to travel these roads during the peak travel season? What kind of delays can you expect due to the presence of recreational vehicles, commercial tractor-trailer trucks, tour buses, and so on? What special dangers might you face on these roads? In the space provided, write down what you discover. 145
CROSSWORD PUZZLE: CHALLENGING DRIVING CONDITIONS Across 1. Dangerous gear on mountain road 2. Swing from side to side 5. Openings in road surface 7. Natural or created to channel off water 8. Driving against force of gravity 9. Reduced on gravel roads 10. Sunshine hazard 13. Are not lit or are poorly lit 14. Continuation of pavement Down 1. Setting on rearview mirror 3. Sharp turns 4. Use on dirt roads 6. Shoulder found on old roads 11. May have to rock out of this 12. Can tempt you to look over edge 146
DRIVER S LOG: CHALLENGING DRIVING CONDITIONS Event Date Time Where What Happened? Had difficulty identifying object at night Had difficulty seeing vehicle at night Had difficulty seeing bicyclist at night Had difficulty seeing pedestrian at night Followed steps to prevent overdriving headlights Checked to make sure headlights aimed properly Observed car with one headlight out Blinded by high beams of oncoming driver Used night setting on rearview mirror Bothered by sunshine glare Used headlights during day Observed driver with only parking lights on Observed car without lights on when required Lost traction on gravel road Lost traction on dirt road Had reduced visibility on dirt road Got stuck in deep sand/mud Drove over large pothole Drove over deep dip in road Drifted onto soft shoulder Observed drop-off Met oncoming traffic on narrow road Traveled narrow road in construction zone Encountered hazard on bridge Encountered hazard in tunnel Drove up long, steep road Drove down long, steep road Close call on mountain road Drove on switchback Observed vehicle escape ramp Approached blind curve on mountain road Passed other vehicle on mountain road 147 (continued on next page)
Event Date Time Where What Happened? Passed on mountain road Used turnout/pullout Experienced physical problem at high altitude Problem with vehicle caused by high altitude 148