Chapter 11 Highway and Rural Driving 11-1 THE RURAL DRIVING ENVIRONMENT A. Complete each of the following sentences by writing the correct word or phrase in the space provided. 1. The most heavily traveled roads in areas are highways. 2. may be even with the road, but they are usually angled downward to help channel off water during rainstorms. 3. Rural roads are more likely than other roads to have surfaces with uneven sections. 4. When moving from a well-paved highway onto a dirt or gravel road, you may experience a sudden loss of. 5. Side roads join main roads at a right angle in. 6. At T-intersections, side roads join a main road with through traffic at a angle. 7. Roads that intersect often continue across a median strip. 8. You should signal before turning off a highway to give drivers behind you time to reduce their speed. 9. are usually restricted to law-enforcement and emergency vehicles. B. Why do rural roads and highways have the highest rate of fatal collisions? C. Why is it especially important to use your ears when driving on rural roads? D. What is dangerous about Y-intersections? 104
E. Using the following illustrations as guides, describe each step in crossing a divided highway. 1. 2. 3. 105
4. 5. 6. 106
7. F. What precautions should you take when entering and exiting highways? G. 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. A highway is: a. a road over a bridge. b. accessible only from on-ramps. c. designed for medium-to-high speeds. d. separated by a median strip. Median strips: a. may be dirt. b. are always landscaped. c. are usually angled upward. d. may have washboard surfaces. When turning left off a divided highway, you must first: a. signal your intention to oncoming b. turn onto the median strip. traffic. d. get in the right lane. c. come to a complete stop in the turn lane. Signs of unmarked driveways on rural roads and highways include: a. tire tracks turning off and onto the b. newspaper vending machines. highway. d. Both a and b. c. acceleration lanes. Crossovers are commonly found: a. near unmarked driveways. b. by roadside produce stands. c. on divided highways. d. on highways without shoulders. 107
H. CHECK IT OUT. As a passenger, go for a ride on a city street, a freeway, and a rural road or highway with your eyes closed. Use your ears to detect changes in the road surface. In the space provided, identify which type of roadway produced the widest variety of noises. Go to the library or use the Internet to research the history of some of the highways in your jurisdiction. When were they originally built? Do they trace an old trail or transportation route? What type of roadside businesses did they used to have? Are any still in existence? Is there anything famous about the highways? In the space provided, write down what you discover. 11-2 DEFENSIVE DRIVING ON HIGHWAYS A. For each of the following sentences, circle T if it is true and F if it is false. 1. T F Your line of sight on rural roads is more limited than it is on city streets and freeways. 2. T F The faster you travel, the more you should rely on your side vision to pick out details of the driving environment. 3. T F Traffic signals on rural roads are likely to be smaller than signals on city streets. 4. T F At highway speeds greater than 50 miles per hour (80 km/h), you should maintain at least a 3-second following distance. 5. T F You should always finish a pass before reaching a no-passing zone unless you are traveling uphill. 108
B. How high can speed limits be on highways? C. What factors can limit your visibility on rural roads and highways? D. Why is it important to increase your following distance on highways? E. What extra precautions should you take when passing on highways? F. CHECK IT OUT. Contact the authority responsible for maintaining rural roads in your area. Find out what specific measures traffic engineers use to make the roads safer. Do they place warning signs farther ahead of hazards than usual? Do they place flashing yellow lights, extra-large signs or signals, or raised pavement markers on the road? In the space provided, write down what you discover. 109
11-3 OTHER DANGERS OF HIGHWAY AND RURAL DRIVING A. Complete each of the following sentences by writing the correct word or phrase in the space provided. 1. The root word of means speed. 2. After a few seconds of highway, you will feel as if you just awakened from a dream. 3. You can break up the of open highway driving by talking to passengers and changing drivers. 4. are difficult to pass and can cause rear-end collisions or traffic backups on highways. 5. The SMV emblem is in shape. 6. When driving near public recreation areas, you must be alert to who ignore or do not know the rules that apply to the vehicles they operate. 7. Many farmers and ranchers must cross their across open highways. 8. Never use your when encountering a horse-drawn vehicle or rider as this may spook the animal. 9. The population has swelled in the last decade, making crashes a growing risk on rural roadways. 10. If a wild animal is on the road directly in front of you, you should and honk your horn. B. What can you do to combat velocitation and highway hypnosis? C. In the space provided, describe how you would apply the SAFE method to driving on rural roads. 110
D. What precautions should you take when passing an SMV? E. What laws apply to off-roading in your jurisdiction? F. What precautions should you take when driving through a rural park or recreation area frequented by off-roaders? G. What should you do if you encounter a horseback rider or horse-drawn vehicle on the roadway? 111
H. What precautions should you take if you see a wild animal on the road or by the side of the road? I. What are your responsibilities if you collide with a large animal on the roadway? J. CHECK IT OUT. Go to the library or use the Internet to learn more about slow-moving vehicles. Choose a category for example, construction, agriculture, or transportation and find out how many different types of SMVs exist. How large can these vehicles get? What are their top speeds? What unique dangers might they pose to motorists? In the space provided, write down what you discover. Go to the library or use the Internet to find out what areas in your jurisdiction permit off-roading. How many trails are there? Are there any special restrictions or requirements? On which roadways would you most likely encounter these vehicles? In the space provided, write down what you discover. 112
Contact your insurance company to find out what its policy is on collisions with wild animals. Are you held liable if you have a crash trying to avoid one, but not if you actually strike the animal? In the space provided, write down what you discover. WORD SEARCH: HIGHWAY AND RURAL DRIVING ATC ATV BILLBOARDS BUSHES CROPS CROSSOVER CURVES DEER DIVIDED ENDURO FENCES HIGHWAY HILLS HORSES HYPNOSIS LIVESTOCK MEDIAN RURAL SMV SNOWMOBILES TREES VELOCITATION WILDLIFE 113
DRIVER S LOG: HIGHWAY AND RURAL DRIVING Event Date Time Where What Happened? Traction problem on highway/rural road Encountered obstacle on highway/rural road Encountered T-intersection Encountered Y-intersection Trouble crossing divided highway Trouble turning left off a divided highway Failed to observe vehicle in unmarked driveway Close call entering highway Close call exiting highway Observed driver illegally use crossover Observed police/emergency vehicle use crossover Passed business dangerously close to highway Encountered dangerous stretch of highway/rural road Observed unusual warning sign/signal/roadway marking Observed illegal pass on highway/rural road Observed legal but unsafe pass on highway/rural road Experienced velocitation Experienced highway hypnosis Encountered slow-moving vehicle Encountered off-roader Encountered livestock crossing road Encountered horseback rider/horse-drawn vehicle Observed large wild animal on/by side of road Collided with wild animal 114