Movement in winter. In winter, the operation of cars is much more complicated due to low air temperature, snow cover, and ice. The road is covered with rolled snow, the coefficient of adhesion of tires to the road decreases, the possibility of side skidding when cornering and during braking increases. Icy areas are often the cause of emergencies. The car makes it difficult for the mechanisms and systems that provide traffic safety, change physical properties fuel, lubricants, coolant, working conditions worsen power transmission and running gear. In addition, it violates normal work pneumatic systems, condensate forms ice plugs in the air ducts, causing freezing and jamming of parts of the brake systems.
At severe frosts frosting occurs on the cab windows, when mild frosts and precipitation on the road, an ice cover or black ice forms, the road becomes slippery. The car in these conditions, even without moving forward, may begin to shift into a ditch or into the oncoming lane when one of the wheels slips. Slippery areas are most often formed on bends, near bus stops and in front of traffic lights.
Under these conditions, timely and high-quality seasonal and periodic maintenance of the car is especially important. Special attention they pay attention to the correct adjustment of the brakes, the compliance of working oils and technical fluids with the working conditions, the insulation of the car and engine cabs. Heating means, garages and warm parking lots are prepared in advance.
When vehicles are moving in winter conditions drivers are advised to follow following rules: move off smoothly without wheel slip; brake the engine; avoid braking on turns and curves; overcome snowdrifts using inertia; do not stop cars on slopes on a slippery road; to increase the stability of the car on a slippery road, use a differential lock mechanism; on icy conditions, avoid frequent gear changes and slow down in advance when cornering.
When the vehicle is stopped and the wheels are stuck in loose snow, you should drive back along the laid track, moving in reverse. Difficult sections are overcome by constant speed without shifting gears. When driving in ice, small-link chains and tires with spikes are used. The spikes are rods with a cap 5-8 mm in diameter and 12-20 mm long. In the absence of chains and tires with spikes, it is necessary to move off on a slippery road in second gear, releasing the clutch pedal very smoothly and also gently pressing the throttle pedal. Slippery sections of the road are overcome at a low constant speed.
When skidding, do not slow down, but you need to smoothly release the pedal throttle valve and turn the steering wheel in the direction of skidding the rear of the car.
At front wheel drive car, For example
VAZ-2109, when skidding, they act differently: they do not slow down the engine, but add “gas”, increasing the traction forces on the driving front wheels.
The driver must work out the exit from the skid by training, which can be carried out on traffic-free areas and sections of the road where there are no pedestrians and vehicles.
Movement at night. When driving on the road, the headlights create a light strip, outside of which there is practically no visibility, so vehicles on the side of the road may not get into the light zone and remain invisible, especially when there are turns on the road section. In addition, at night it is difficult to perform any turn, since its boundaries are not visible and it is difficult to determine the entire curvature.
Night work must be preceded by driver training and vehicle. To do this, carefully check the operation of all light and signal devices, and the tool is placed so that, if necessary, it can be quickly found. They study the upcoming route on the map or according to the scheme, specifying the presence of bridges, ascents, descents, and other features of the road.
While driving, especially in morning hours, appears drowsy. In this case, short warm-up stops outside the cab are useful. Cheerful music or some pungent smell, for example, a branch of wormwood, cologne, perfume, helps to drive away sleep. Fresh air is also helpful.
Some psychologists recommend that the driver talk to himself when driving at night. The phrases spoken aloud “crossroads ahead”, “slow down”, “oncoming car” and others, in their opinion, provide sufficient attention to the driver.
The speed of movement in the dark should be less than in the daytime. Particular attention must be paid to the headlights: they must be correctly adjusted and when driving at night, when driving oncoming traffic, the driver must switch to dipped headlights at least 150 m from the oncoming vehicle. If the road does not have external lighting, you should move with your neighbor or high beam headlights, when the road is illuminated from the outside, you should move with the side lights or dipped headlights on. When stopping and parking on unlit roads at night, the vehicle must turn on the side lights or a sign must be displayed at a distance of 25-30 m emergency stop.
If blinded by headlights or other light sources, the driver must slow down or stop without changing lanes.
Driving in rain and fog. The movement of vehicles in rain and fog presents a certain difficulty for drivers. Under these conditions, there are features that cannot be ignored: slipperiness of the road increases, visibility worsens, roadsides become soft. The layer of clay or soil applied to the road is dissolved by water and a very slippery layer is formed on the road. Therefore, in the rain, it is necessary, first of all, to reduce the speed of the vehicle and increase attention. Caution must be exercised primarily when driving and crossing with dirt roads. On a slippery road, it is dangerous to start driving up a steep hill until the vehicle in front has reached the top of the hill.
At long drive in puddles and heavy rain, braking efficiency is reduced due to the fact that water also penetrates to the brake pads. As a result, the value of the coefficient of friction of the working surfaces of the brake friction pairs decreases. In this case, the brakes are dried by pressing the brake pedal in a safe area several times until effective braking appears. In heavy rain, turn on the headlights, and if necessary, stop the vehicle.
When the vehicle is moving to high speed on wet roads, the effect of "hydroplaning" is sometimes observed, leading to accidents. More often this effect is manifested at a speed of 60 km / h and a layer of water on the road with a thickness of 5-8 mm. The essence of the phenomenon lies in the fact that the contact patch of the tire with the road is reduced due to the appearance of a water wedge, and at a critical speed a layer of water appears between the tire and the road and the car becomes uncontrollable. In order to avoid an accident, you must reduce the speed of the car.
Fog poses a great danger when vehicles are driving on the road. The most dangerous is dense fog, when the outlines of the road disappear, the sounds are muffled and it seems that some shadows are moving towards them, which, as they approach, take the form of a car. Thick fog not only reduces the visibility range, but also impairs the driver's ability to navigate in space. In addition, due to the physiological peculiarities of human vision, when driving in fog, oncoming vehicles appear to be more elongated, which can affect the driver's reaction. Fog lights help the driver in this situation, which, when correct adjustment highlight the minimum amount of fog above the road and allow you to see the traffic situation.
Fog lights installed in front of the car, and behind - fog lights. In dense fog, you should move closer to the side of the road and navigate along the edge of the roadway.
Movement on mountain roads. Technical specifications modern roads built in mountainous areas, allow fairly high speeds of vehicles. However, on the roads lower categories sometimes very difficult conditions for safe movement are created.
It is difficult and dangerous to drive on mountain roads without certain skills; theoretical, psychological and technical training of the driver and car is needed. First of all, one should clearly understand the features of driving on mountain roads, analyze the influence of these features, their consequences and the effectiveness of the measures taken by the driver and his actions.
On mountain roads, traffic conditions become more difficult, they have steeper slopes and descents, smaller turning radii, serpentines, an insignificant length of horizontal sections, less visibility, fewer places for safe stopping, and maneuvering is difficult. Blockages, landslides, erosion, rockfalls are possible here, there is a possibility of a rapid change in weather conditions (rain, fog, snow, cloudiness). In such conditions, the driver gets tired faster, there is huge pressure on the assembly units of the car and, above all, on the components, mechanisms and systems that ensure traffic safety,
The technical parameters of a car on mountain roads change: with an increase in altitude above sea level, engine power decreases, the boiling point of water in the cooling system decreases, braking efficiency decreases due to heating of the brake drums, grease from wheel hub bearings with significant heating brake drums. Due to the rarefaction of the air, the performance of the compressor decreases, and the receivers may be without air at high flow rates. The use of auxiliary brakes allows you not to use the service brake on long descents, which increases traffic safety.
Works intensively in mountainous areas steering, driving without power steering is unacceptable here (the condition of the steering gear parts should be carefully checked). On steep climbs and descents, it is forbidden to drive with the clutch or gear disengaged, and the distance between cars must be increased.
When driving on mountain roads, the driver may have altimeterism, an illusory perception of distance, slopes, deterioration of health due to increased stress, height difference. Sometimes a climb on a mountain road can be perceived as a descent and vice versa, which the driver is convinced of by the operation of the engine.
At an altitude of more than 3000 m, breathing becomes difficult due to a lack of oxygen, oxygen starvation leads to headaches, decreased visual acuity and hearing, fatigue, and at an altitude of more than four and a half thousand meters it is impossible to work without a special oxygen mask.
The driver must prepare in advance for driving on mountain roads, check technical condition car.
The technical condition of the car should not raise any doubts, first of all, the brakes and steering should be in good order, adjusted, and the effectiveness of their operation should be checked.
Driver Responsibilities
The driver is obliged to check the serviceability and completeness of the vehicle and constantly monitor its technical condition, as well as to ensure that he and the passengers are fastened with seat belts. Not allowed buckle up children under 12 years old, a master of driving training, when the trainee is driving the vehicle, as well as drivers and passengers of communication vehicles, operational services and taxis.
The driver is not allowed to transfer control of the car to persons who do not have the appropriate certificate of a certain category. Being the owner of the car or having a power of attorney for the right to dispose of it, he has the right to transfer control in his presence to another person who has an appropriate certificate with him.
In case of a traffic accident, the drivers who committed it leave the cars in place until the arrival of traffic police officers, turn on the emergency light signaling and, if necessary, accept all possible measures to provide first aid to the injured. In some cases, in the absence of victims and minor material damage, drivers, by mutual agreement in assessing the circumstances, may arrive at the nearest traffic police post to draw up the relevant documents.
An indispensable condition is the respectful attitude of drivers to all participants without exception. traffic and their responsiveness to requests for help. The situation on the road largely depends on their actions and behavior, which can change at any moment and then, for example, a turn signal not given in time can have serious consequences. Experienced drivers, driving a car in front of an obstacle, knowing that they will slow down, press the brake pedal in advance, signaling to those behind that this car is starting to slow down and is ready to stop.
It is not allowed to drive a vehicle in a sick or tired state, and even more so in a state of alcoholic or drug intoxication.
In case of violation of traffic rules, drivers are fined, and in case of bodily injury caused to the victim as a result of a road traffic accident, criminal liability is applied.
Movement in complex weather conditions and at night
bad weatherIf you need to go urgently, and it’s raining heavily, it’s night or the sun is blindingly bright, then most likely this will not stop you. But if you have already decided on a trip in such conditions, only awareness of the difficulties of the upcoming trip is not enough. To protect yourself, you need to know exactly how to act in each case associated with limited visibility.
For example, you are returning home by car. The weather worsened: it became cold, it began to rain. You are having an interesting conversation with a friend sitting with you, discussing problems that concern both of you. At the same time, you casually glance at the road, not paying too much attention to it, but concentrating on the conversation. You know the road well, you have traveled along it many times, you are used to the idea that it will lead you where you need to go ... Suddenly you find yourself in a dense fog. creeping along the ground. Moreover, they found the fog when it had already tightly enveloped your car, and the road completely disappeared from sight. Speed about 80 km/h. Another moment, and you are in a ditch on the opposite side of the road. It turns out that the fog hid a sharp turn.
You and your passenger were not seriously injured, but escaped with bruises and scratches. But what about poor car! Causes of the incident: you were moving too fast; the fog was a surprise; while driving, you did not fully focus on driving.
Each of these causes has contributed. However, most likely, the events would not have turned out in such an unpleasant way if it were not for the fog. If not for him, you probably would have returned home calmly. It was because of the fog that you missed the turn, because it was hidden from you. The fog has limited your visibility.
Limited visibility- this is when it is impossible to distinguish between the road, other vehicles, pedestrians, road signs and objects that you need to see in order to drive safely.
Visibility is limited by the following factors: weather (rain, snow, fog, hail, bright sun); traffic conditions (trucks, buses and other large vehicles, poor traffic management, blind intersections, blind roadside sections; curves, inclines, objects near the road; bushes, trees, buildings, parked vehicles, etc. .); your car (stickers on the windshield or rear window, dirt on the windshield or rear window, knick-knacks hanging on the rear-view mirror, cracks in the glass, curtains on the windows, side pillar between the rear and front doors, forms the so-called “blind” zone, passengers in the rear and front seats).
Limited visibility makes it impossible for you to see objects road conditions at a fairly distant distance. It is difficult for you to understand what is happening around you. To get the much-needed conditions limited visibility information about the situation on the road, you have to significantly increase your attention, which requires a lot of effort.
Other road users are in the same position at this time. And each of them (just like you yourself) can make a mistake at any moment. You have to be ready for this.
The incident described at the beginning of this chapter is a prime example of what can happen when visibility is limited due to weather conditions.
Another example. Suppose you are driving on a road in a dense traffic flow, in front of you is a large truck. You cannot change lanes, the lane to your left is occupied by moving vehicles. To the right is the curb. The truck blocks your view, so you can't see the road signs ahead of time. As a result, you miss the sign you need, the desired turn and are forced to move to the next intersection.
Another example. You are driving all day long on a country road. Insects, dust, dirt - it's all on windshield your vehicle. Suddenly, a dog runs out into the road, you notice it at the last moment. To save the dog, you make a sharp turn into oncoming traffic. Well, if there is no one in the oncoming lane. What if there is an oncoming car? And all because through a dirty window you did not see the dog in time.
Of course, all these three circumstances described in the examples can gather in one place at once, and a very difficult, dangerous situation will be created. Usually this is exactly what happens: in conditions of insufficient visibility, critical situations arise for several reasons.
For example, a car’s windshield is splashed with dirt, the bright sun shines into your eyes (glare is especially strong through dirty glass), and a large vehicle is moving ahead, blocking the visibility of the situation ahead, and all this at the same time.
Accident statistics show that in conditions of limited visibility, the probability of road accidents increases significantly.
During fog, snowfall, in other conditions limiting visibility ahead, speed reduction is simply necessary for all road users. Otherwise, a chain reaction of collisions with a large number of participants and as a result of casualties will begin. Two conclusions follow from the foregoing: 1) in conditions of limited visibility, you are deprived of the opportunity to see all the necessary objects of the road situation;
2) because you can't see well or not at all, you don't know what to expect.
What to do in such situations? You have two means at your disposal: the car and, first of all, your eyes.
The car has special equipment designed to improve driving conditions in limited visibility.
If there is water on the windshield, turn on the windshield wipers. Adjust the speed of the brushes depending on the amount of water (or snow) falling on
glass. If water freezes on the windshield, forming a crust of ice on it, or snow is not completely removed with brushes and blocks your visibility, turn on the heater and warm air will melt the ice. And then turn on the wiper again, which will remove melted ice, snow from the glass.
If the heater does not work, stop and check if all windows are closed (if not, close). Then turn on the heater again. Warm air will warm the windows from the inside, the ice or snow will melt, and then you can turn on the wiper. Helpful Hints:
do not use the washer when it is very cold - at very low air temperatures, the water will instantly freeze and form a new crust of ice on the windshield;
Before turning on the wiper, make sure there is enough water or snow on the windshield. Otherwise, the brushes will scrape against dry glass and may damage it, leaving scratches.
Glasses are damp and foggy. When there is moisture on the windshield, turn on the heater. And in cold weather turn on the supply of warm air, and in damp, cool, foggy - cool. You can open the windows, this will also help dry the glass. If the glasses are heavily fogged, wipe them dry with a cloth, but not with your hand.
The bright sun pleases sunbathers on the beach, and the driver is not always. If the sun is on the side, and you are driving along the alley, then the dark areas are constantly replaced by brightly lit ones. Such a “light fence” is dangerous in that it causes eye fatigue and makes road signs inconspicuous. signs and small obstacles on the road (pits, stones, foreign objects). If you have dark glasses, put them on: they will smooth out the contrast. If not, squint and tilt your head back a little.
It is best to avoid driving into the sun. If that's not possible, lower your car's sun visor, wear tinted glasses, and most importantly, keep your windshield clean. Take the time to clean it up. Moving with your back to the sun, increase the distance to the leader, as the bright sun makes it difficult to correctly and quickly perceive stoplights. Traffic lights require special care.
In bright light, it is easy to confuse the signals, so also be aware of the actions of other road users.
When visibility is limited, turn on your parking lights or even low beam headlights. It is likely that visibility conditions will not improve for you, but you will be clearly visible to other drivers, and this is also very important.
Instruments are instruments, but you can improve driving conditions yourself if you realistically assess the factors that limit visibility and change your behavior accordingly. For example, the weather is clearly not conducive to driving, slow down, choose the best position on the road, in extreme cases, pull off the road, stop and wait until visibility improves.
Move so that it is possible in case of danger to stop within your sight.
Increase your distance. Remember that in conditions of limited visibility, you need more time and space to make any maneuver and stop.
If visibility is so limited that you are not able to correctly determine the location of other road users on the roadway, it is best not to endanger yourself and others, leave the road by finding comfortable spot, and wait there until visibility improves. When you stop, be sure to identify yourself by turning on your hazard warning lights.
Pay close attention to other road users, their signals and movements.
Keep the right edge of the road, sidewalk, curb, marking line (edge of the carriageway), shoulder at all times. Hold on to this edge, don't lose it. Choose a position on the road to be at the greatest possible distance from other road users moving towards, i.e., provide the largest lateral interval.
Adjust the rear view mirrors. When the traffic is heavy, you need to very quickly assess the situation both in front and behind, and when driving there is no time to adjust the mirrors.
Keep a close eye on other road users. Look for signs that a large vehicle may be moving ahead of you and blocking your visibility. Avoid long driving behind a large vehicle. If you still have to follow him, increase the distance to improve visibility conditions: see signs, traffic lights, markings, intersections, oncoming traffic.
Choose a lane so as to provide as much safety as possible on all sides.
And a few more tips when visibility is limited due to your vehicle:
remove all unnecessary stickers, labels, curtains from windows;
do not place things in front of or behind the rear window, they limit visibility;
do not drive with a damaged windshield. On such glass there may be cracks, rays diverging from the place of damage. Such cracks either limit visibility or distort the picture of the road situation;
if the wiper blades are bent, repair them or buy new ones. If you intend to drive a car
then a new, unfamiliar brand, study the instrument panel so that it becomes as familiar and familiar as the one that was on your old car. If you familiarize yourself with the instruments while driving, your attention will be diverted from observing the situation on the road.
Fog. IN fog, the distance to all objects seems greater than it actually is. Therefore, the thicker the fog, the greater the distance. The car, whose parking lights you dimly see ahead, may not move, but stand. Do not approach him at high speed. In very heavy fog, sound your horn before changing lanes or returning. If visibility is very poor, but you have to go, bring your eyes closer to the windshield. This will slightly improve visibility, but, however, increase fatigue. When driving in fog, turn on the low beam instead of the high beam. Fog lights are useful if they are properly installed and adjusted. The light from them should spread along the road under a layer of fog and well illuminate the right edge of the road.
If there is a line that limits the edge of the roadway, then you can navigate in the fog along it. It is dangerous to take to the right strongly, cars and people can be on the side of the road.
Don't try to get past the fog in the low ground. It is in this short section that all sorts of surprises can be hidden by fog. Remember that fog changes the color of all colors except red (yellow appears reddish, green appears yellowish).
Keep the windows of the driver's and passengers' doors down to better "hear" the road.
Rain. In the rain, do not approach the leader: the dirt thrown off by the wheels of his car will splatter your glass. If you are overtaken and there are puddles on the road, turn on the glass cleaners in advance. An overtaking car can send a portion of water into your glass, and you will completely lose visibility. Reduce speed before puddles. Firstly, splashes with mud can completely deprive you of visibility, and secondly, there can be holes under the water. Water entering into brake pads, can significantly degrade braking performance. Therefore, after driving through a puddle, lightly press the brake several times to dry the lining. If a thunderstorm has begun, then you should not stop near the old sprawling trees. During a thunderstorm, they often break off and can damage the car body.
In heavy rain, turn on not only the side lights, but also the dipped beam. Choose a speed that matches your visibility. Do not brake sharply, do not suddenly change lanes. Remember that others see you poorly. In case of poor visibility, it is better to refrain from overtaking. It is better to raise the side window almost to the stop, otherwise a portion of cold water from an oncoming or overtaking car may get into the face, behind the collar. Usually a person does not like it, and most importantly, in these moments he loses control of the car.
How does visibility and visibility affect the situation on the road? On straight sections, visibility depends only on the longitudinal profile, on curved sections, on the arrangement of shoulders and the right of way of the road. Green spaces, hills, and buildings close to the roadside impair visibility and safety of the road. Poor visibility of the road is often the cause of serious accidents. Especially often accidents in these conditions occur when overtaking. They occur due to the fact that in case of poor visibility or visibility, the driver does not receive information about the situation on the road in time and does not have time to take the necessary actions.
Characteristically, the number of accidents depends not only on the presence of areas with limited visibility and visibility on the roads, but also on the frequency of their location on the highway.
Studies show that rare places of limited visibility and visibility are more dangerous than common places, such as, for example, on mountain roads. In these cases, poor conditions are compensated by the constant increased attention of drivers, and the speed of vehicles is much lower than in flat conditions. Limited (closed) visibility is dangerous at the intersections of roads and streets, on railway crossings, traffic collisions occur more often here than at intersections with an unrestricted view.
Table 8
Typical places of deterioration in visibility and visibility on the streets and roads
|
Characteristic places |
Short description site |
Possible dangerous consequences |
|
Road in hilly area |
Due to frequent ascents and descents, the longitudinal visibility of the road is insufficient |
Collision with a car left on the roadway (due to a malfunction), not visible due to a fracture |
|
Closed turn, mountain roads |
Closed view, insufficient information about traffic on the site |
Collision with oncoming (and passing) transport; |
|
Road in the forest with a small right-of-way |
Unexpected day off carriageway because of the trees people and animals |
Hitting people, animals; hitting a tree due to loss of control |
|
Entrance to the tunnel |
Sharp transition to an area with worse illumination |
Collisions with oncoming, passing vehicles, collision with fences |
|
Street crossings in cities |
Closed view, insufficient traffic information |
Collisions, collisions with pedestrians |
|
Stops public transport |
Unexpected exit of pedestrians |
Pedestrian collision |
|
Railroad crossing |
Unexpected train departure due to obstruction |
Train collision |
Characteristic places of limited conditions of visibility and visibility are presented in Table. 8.
Traffic at night
In general, it is better to sleep at night than to drive a car. At least, such a conclusion suggests itself from the analysis of statistics, according to which, at night, the risk of hitting a pedestrian increases by 9 times, a cyclist - by about 2.6 times, and a fixed obstacle - by 2 times.
However, there is no such motorist who would not have to drive at least sometimes at night.
Everything familiar and familiar during the day looks completely different at night. Where in good light you can see a lot of detail, now only dark silhouettes. And there is nothing surprising if you miss the right turn or drive into the wrong side, because the signs that allow you to navigate traffic have become completely different. During the day, your eyes perceive the situation with the help of nerve endings located on the retina, called cones, and at night, they no longer play the main role, but others called rods. With their help, only the contours of the object can be distinguished, and the color cannot. If you have a red or orange car that is highly visible during the day, it will appear dark at dusk and at night. Therefore, turn on your parking lights at the first sign of dusk. This also applies to those who have cars of other colors, especially dark ones: black, blue, gray.
Twilight is very insidious. The human eye distinguishes objects in them worse than at night, then at least the headlights help. At dusk, nothing helps, except to reduce speed and increase vigilance. So How twilight is brief experienced drivers often coincide with them another break in the movement. It is in the morning twilight that drivers most often fall asleep. This is another argument in favor of stopping for a rest.
How to prepare your car for night driving? Check everything lighting fixtures. Before night trip, as well as several times during the trip, if it is long, be sure to check if the headlights, brake light, direction indicators are working. Also check if the glasses of these appliances are clean enough. During the movement, huge amounts of dust, dirt, sand are collected on them. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly monitor their cleanliness. Usually all this dirt is still mixed with petrochemical products, oils on the road. Therefore, if the glass is not cleaned in a timely manner, visibility will deteriorate very significantly, sometimes by half. Use dry cloths to remove dirt from glass. If you find a crack on any of the glasses, replace it.
Check the windshield wiper. Make sure the wiper blades are clean. If there is dirt on them, wipe with a dry cloth. Otherwise, instead of cleaning the glass if necessary, the brushes will paint (and maybe scratch) it so that visibility will deteriorate.
Check the side view mirror. Clean the mirror of dirt. All these simple preparations must be done before leaving. At the same time, check the serviceability of the direction indicators, brake light.
Check lights and brakes periodically. By checking your lights regularly, you always keep your car ready for night driving.
Check the brightness of both headlights. Make sure it's the same. If the brightness of one of the headlights is weaker, this is a clear sign that it will soon fail. True, for some time it may continue to burn dimly, but this dim light also lurks a threat - it worsens visibility. So understand the causes of the malfunction immediately and fix it.
The brake light should be checked regularly.
Side lights are needed so that other drivers can clearly see you in the dark. Therefore, their serviceability should be checked periodically.
Direction indicators are also essential at night (as well as during the day). Therefore, they should be checked regularly.
Pay attention to the interior lighting, check the interior light bulb.
The instrument panel lighting must also be in good working order.
Preliminary steps before an overnight trip:
- Turn on high beam headlights. It is very important to know the location of all the lighting buttons well, so as not to frantically search for them every time in the dark. Carefully study your car and remember well what turns on where.
- Switch your headlights from high to low. Dipped headlights are used in the city when they are following other drivers (so as not to dazzle them through the rear-view mirror), as well as when passing oncoming traffic.
- Depress the brake pedal to check the operation of the brake light. Step on the brake pedal and look in the rear view mirror. If you see a reflection of red light, then everything is in order; Your car's red brake light will alert drivers behind you that you are slowing down. At night, such a warning is especially important, because a lit brake light is the only sign by which another driver can tell that you are braking.
- Check the direction indicators. Check both left and right signals. It is more convenient to check the left signal - you can just turn your head to the left, and you will see a reflection.
The success of night trips largely depends on your ability to see in the dark. You already know how to determine it from Lesson 1. But even excellent night vision can be impaired if you stay in a brightly lit room for a long time before a trip, read a book or look at small objects in a poorly lit place, or be under the influence of loud noise or loud music.
American psychologists have found that drivers who watched TV (especially color) for a long time before driving became inattentive while driving, often missing the danger. Their visual acuity decreased by 30% within 1-2 hours. After watching TV, you need to give your eyes a rest for at least 1 hour.
How to “worse” night vision, you now know. And how to improve? To do this, before the trip, you need to eat a few sugar cubes with lemon or a vitamin C pill. A cup of strong coffee will increase the sensitivity of your eyes to darkness by 30% for 1.5 hours. and neck with cold water, as well as 20 deep breaths and exhalations for 2 minutes will give a good effect.
To clearly see an object during the day, you need to look at it point-blank. Quite another matter in twilight or at night. To see a poorly lit object, for example standing truck, you need to look slightly away from it, concentrating on its contours and outlines.
If your doctor has prescribed glasses for you, remember to wear them. Having minor defect vision, you can not use glasses regularly, wearing them only while reading. When driving a car, wearing glasses is mandatory, especially at night, since even with a slight defect, night vision deteriorates many times over.
We hope that you will do everything to see the road at night as best as possible. But even in this case, the area
visibility of the situation when driving on an unlit road will be limited to the area illuminated by the light of your headlights. Well-adjusted headlights illuminate the road at a distance of 45 m in the low beam, and 100 m in the far beam. Choose a speed at which the stopping distance of your car will be less than these distances.
Please note that with increasing speed, the distance of clear visibility decreases in the daytime by 6 m for every 15 km / h increase in speed, and even more in poor lighting.
For example, moving at night at a speed of 100 km / h, you will clearly see the situation ahead at a distance of 25 m less than at a speed of 30 km / h (Fig. 66, 67).
What speed can be recommended when driving with low beam headlights? We believe that about 50 km/h. 
Why? Let's guess. Let's take the visibility of the situation in the headlights equal to 45 m. We make a correction for the decrease in visibility due to speed. We will assume that at a speed of 50 km/h, the clear visibility distance is about 30 m. The stopping distance is 28 m. Thus, a speed of 50 km/h will allow you to stop the car in case of an unexpected obstacle. But this is on dry pavement. On slippery roads, the speed will have to be significantly reduced.
If you are driving with high beam headlights, then, based on the same reasoning, your speed on a dry road with good headlight adjustment should not exceed 90 km / h (Fig. 67b). Now for the pedestrians. Unfortunately, they most often become not only the causes, but also the victims of night accidents. A person in dark clothes can only be seen at a distance of about 25 m, and a person in light clothes can be seen at a distance of about 40 m. you skillfully slowed down. Therefore, in areas where there is a high probability of pedestrians, the speed should not exceed 40 km / h (Fig. 68). A few more words on how to compensate for the lack of visibility at night: as soon as dusk falls, turn on the side lights; move more slowly at night than during the day. By moving slower, you don't just see better. You also have more time to observe the road, recognize objects on it, and in a critical situation, if any, there are more chances for salvation; before each maneuver, turn on the pointer in advance turn. At night, it is especially important to communicate your intentions to others so that they know in advance what to expect from you. Signal about every, even a slight change in the mode of movement. And make sure that other participants in situations have enough time to react to your actions; know your route exactly. An unexpected turn in the road, a change in the type of coverage, another surprise that lies in wait for the driver in an unfamiliar area - all this is dangerous during the day, but at night it is doubly dangerous. And therefore, before a night trip, it is necessary to carefully study the route, prepare for possible surprises. Keep in mind that if you rush along the road in search of the turn you need, you will become a threat to others. So specify where you are going and how to get there; constantly control the speed and distance. A person generally inaccurately estimates the speed of oncoming vehicles. At night, these estimates are even more approximate. So do not rely on your intuition, often look at the speedometer. As for the distance, the importance of its exact observance when driving at night is difficult to overestimate. Therefore, constantly control the distance in relation to the vehicle moving in front. Night traffic outside the city. The most important thing when driving on country roads is the right choice of speed. If the limit allowable speed for driving outside the city 90 km / h, this does not mean that you can move at this speed. Need to take into account whole line factors - the technical condition of the car, the condition and type of road surface, meteorological conditions, visibility and, of course, how familiar you are with the road on which you are moving. If there is no oncoming traffic, use high beam headlights when driving on a country road at night. When oncoming traffic appears, it is necessary to switch the high beam headlights to low beam. Approximately 15% of all nighttime accidents are due to blindness in oncoming traffic. The driver, blinded by the high beam of the headlights, begins to distinguish the situation only after 7-8 seconds. For some, this time is 30-40 seconds. All this time the driver is driving blindly. How to avoid blindness? First, switch to low beam no later than 150 m before oncoming traffic. Don't switch too early. After all, then you have to reduce the speed of movement. Secondly, before you switch to low beam, try to look as far ahead as possible. Are there danger signs? standing car, pedestrians, road defects, repaired area? Try not to look at the headlights of an oncoming car, but as far to the right as possible. If there is danger ahead, slow down. After all it will be very difficult for you to go around the obstacle due to poor visibility of the situation after the passing. Thirdly, if the driver of an oncoming car does not switch to low beam, then check if your high beam is also on. Rather switch it. Accustom yourself, switching to the dipped headlights, simultaneously reduce the speed to 50 km / h. When passing oncoming traffic, try to stay close to the right edge of the road, maintaining as much lateral distance as possible to oncoming traffic. It can carry oversized cargo or a trailer that is hard to see. When approaching a turn on the outside, look to the right side of the road, trying to avoid being dazzled by the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. And if you are driving on the inside, do not forget to switch the high beam to the low beam first (Fig. 69). If a vehicle with one headlight is coming towards you, it may not be a motorcycle, but a car with one headlight faulty. Keep as far to the right as possible just in case. Following the leader at night. When you follow the leader, switch your high beam headlights to low beam. Keep a safe distance carefully. Movement as a leader. When you are the leader and another vehicle is following you with high beams, flash your brake lights to remind them to change their headlights to low beam. If it continues to drive with high beams, avoid looking in the rear view mirror. Give him a chance to overtake you. Obgoi at night. In addition to everything you already know about overtaking, night-time specifics are added. Overtaking at night, of course, is much more difficult than during the day. The order is as follows: 2) the driver of the car in front of you can flash your light (far-near-far), showing that the road ahead is clear for overtaking. Do not really trust his estimates, just take them into account. Make your own assessments, relying on your own experience; 3) look at the middle of the road and make sure that the markings do not prohibit overtaking; 4) assessing the situation ahead and making sure that the maneuver is safe, turn on the left turn signal. As has been repeated many times, warning signals especially important at night; 5) Drive into the oncoming lane. Increase your speed quickly. Move in the opposite lane until you see the overtaken car in the rear-view mirror; 6) having caught up with the overtaken, switch the low beam to the far one, now this will not interfere with the overtaken in any way, but it will help you a lot, since the visibility distance will increase (Fig. 70, 6),
7)
being extremely attentive, return to your lane by giving a right turn signal; 8) upon returning, continue driving with high beams, unless, of course, there is oncoming traffic and a new leader moving ahead of you (Fig. 70, c). When lights fail. This, of course, is very bad, but do not lose your temper. Determine what is still working properly for you, and try to at least mark your car on the roadway. Slow down and move off the road. This must be done as quickly as possible.
When approaching an uphill or downhill road, switch to low beam before the beams of the oncoming and your car's headlights meet (Fig. 68).
You can switch the dipped beam to the high beam only after the oncoming and your cars have caught up.
1) switch the high beam to the low beam (Fig. 70, c);
Dnepropetrovsk State University
internal affairs
Department of "Tactical and special training"
Essay
on the topic of: „Driving in difficult road conditions”
Completed:
cadet 301 year
police officer
Krut S.Yu.
Checked:
teacher
department of tactical and special training
Makarevich V.V.
Dnepropetrovsk, 2007
Plan
Introduction
1. Slippery road.
2. Movement on water.
3. Driving on a bad road
4. Long road
Literature
Introduction
About 1/3 of all traffic accidents occur on wet, icy or snowy roads. Such roads have deteriorated grip conditions. This means that the likelihood of wheels slipping on the road surface, as well as their withdrawal to the side, increases. Under these conditions, the car often becomes uncontrollable.
The slipperiness of the road is characterized by the coefficient of adhesion. The normal coefficient of adhesion of asphalt concrete pavements ranges from 0.6-0.8. Under the influence of meteorological conditions, road surfaces lose their qualities, the coefficient of adhesion decreases to dangerous limits. The friction coefficient of 0.4 is adopted as the minimum allowable in terms of traffic safety.
Depending on the condition of the road surface, the stopping distance may vary by 3-4 times. Thus, the stopping distance at a speed of 60 km/h on a dry asphalt concrete pavement will be about 37 m, on a wet one - 60 m, on an icy road - 152 m. clutch can differ by a factor of 2 or more.
Driving speed also has an effect on tire grip, as at high speeds, aerodynamic lift forces begin to appear, which reduce the vehicle's grip on the road.
1. Slippery road.
Slippery roads are not only in winter. Such a phenomenon is observed when a binder acts on the surface of the asphalt concrete pavement on hot days or moisture from the air or frost in cold weather is deposited in the morning. When it starts to rain, a mixture of water, tire and pavement wear material, and petroleum products forms on the roadway. The result is an excellent lubricant. Therefore, in a drizzling light rain, the road is more slippery than in a heavy downpour.
Slippery can be a cobblestone road, especially when wet, a road during leaf fall, or an ordinary dry road polished by thousands of cars moving along it.
It is important for the driver to learn how to determine (feel) such a dangerous road for driving and change the mode and tactics of movement in a timely manner. An analysis of accidents involving passenger taxis conducted by NIIAT found that 49.6% of them occurred on wet, muddy or slippery roads. The main mistake of the drivers was not taking into account the slipperiness of the road and the wrong choice of speed.
It is clear that slippery sections of the road should be avoided as far as possible, trying to go around them, or use special tricks driving. Let's take a closer look at what dangerous areas should try to avoid.
Avoid areas that have oily oil stains. A road that is oily or covered with fresh binders (for example, fresh, freshly laid asphalt) is very slippery. Seek every opportunity to bypass such a site. In hot weather, the oil stain on the road is clearly visible, go around it.
Try to avoid sections of the road hidden under water. There are various dangers underwater. In addition, after driving through deep puddles, they can get wet. brake pads and brakes fail, the engine may stall, etc.
Move along the track. If you can clearly see the track laid by other vehicles, move along it. In a rut, the grip of the tires with the road is better.
When the road is covered with melting ice, avoid driving in heavy traffic lanes. On lanes with more traffic, the ice melts faster, and therefore driving on such lanes is safer than where there are few cars, therefore, the ice crust on the road surface lasts longer.
You also need to be wary of areas with unmelted ice found in the shade of trees or buildings. Keep in mind that ice in such sun-sheltered areas melts more slowly, and in the evening it freezes again faster, even if it thawed a little during the day.
Be especially careful when approaching bridges or overpasses. There, the ice crust on the road appears earlier than everywhere else, and disappears later. In these zones heightened danger Avoid sudden movements with the steering wheel, gas, brake.
Do not overtake unless absolutely necessary. Better stay in your lane. Even simple change lanes on a slippery road threatens trouble, and overtaking - even more so. This maneuver is dangerous even in good road conditions, and becomes extremely risky with poor traction.
Drive around sandy and snowdrifts, drifts, dirt or damp leaves. Damp leaves make the road surface as slippery as ice. If you, say, try to brake on a road covered in wet leaves, you will almost certainly lose control of your car.
If you need to stop, look for a place on the road that is free from the dangers listed above: ice, snow, leaves, sand. If there are no such sections, say, when driving on a country road in winter, it would be preferable to stop on dry packed snow. If there have been frequent stops before you, the snow can be polished to a state of ice. Beware of this. And stopping and further starting from this place will be very difficult.
Don't stop on the climbs. It is better to stop before the start of the ascent or behind it. Remember that hill starting in conditions bad clutch is a difficult and dangerous business.
When there is no end to the ups and downs, it is better to stop on the descent. It will be easier for you to move.
If driving on a slippery road cannot be avoided, then try to determine the degree of its slipperiness. To do this, you can use several methods: visually, braking, changing the fuel supply, depressing the accelerator pedal. A person with normal vision will almost always see a slippery surface, but will not always be able to appreciate how dangerous it is. If the road is clear, you can try to assess the slipperiness by sharply pressing the brake pedal. In other conditions, you should check the grip of the wheels by sharply depressing the throttle control pedal. If the drive wheels break into a slip, then the road is quite slippery, and when driving on it, the following recommendations should be followed.
Drive at a reduced speed, increasing the margin of safety on all sides of your vehicle. large stock safety is necessary due to the fact that on such a road you need much more space in order to have time to stop. Earlier we talked about the need to maintain a 2-second distance in relation to the leader. But this applies to normal road conditions, dry pavement. What if it's raining? To be on the safe side, add 2s. In the snow - another 2 s, so now it will be 6 s. On an icy road where the longest braking distances, add another 2 s - you get 8 s.
Try to keep the speed constant, use the pedal very carefully, smoothly, softly. None unnecessary movements. Reduce your speed before turns and intersections well in advance. Crossroads, when the road is slippery, are especially dangerous for two reasons: there is a threat of collision with other vehicles, the drivers of which, moving in the crossed direction, did not calculate the speed and lost control; the surface near the intersection can be especially slippery due to the constant braking of cars.
Maintain a constant speed while climbing. You need to select the appropriate gear and speed in advance so as not to change them on the climb itself. The calculation must be very accurate so as not to add gas during the ascent.
On icy descents, brake with the engine by engaging second gear at the top. If you press the brake, then out of the car you get a sled with former value several thousand rubles. The same thing can happen with a sharp turn of the steering wheel: the car was driving straight ahead and will continue to go.
At front wheel drive cars although rare, it happens that the front wheels on a slippery slope begin to slip; try to take the lift in reverse, it often helps.
It is dangerous to change gears on a slippery slope, this must be done before climbing. You also need to be careful with gas, otherwise slipping and even slipping back will begin. If the road is clear and no one sees the “shame”, it is better, carefully slowing down, to go down and try to take the climb again, taking into account the mistakes of the first time. In other cases, carefully roll back to the side of the road, slow down, placing an emphasis under any wheel, and think about how to live on. Most likely, try to lay a track of sand and dry cement, a bag of which you have thriftily put in the trunk since autumn.
What to do if you need to brake urgently on ice? Beginners usually press the brake pedal all the way: on the ice, the wheels instantly lock to the skid, and ... the car successfully slides over the ice on frozen wheels, like on skates, and even does not obey the steering wheel. Therefore, it is impossible to slow down on the skid.
For an emergency stop on a slippery road, three methods of braking can be used: brake with gas, intermittent and stepped braking.
You noticed an obstacle late, you need to slow down, and there is ice under the wheels. Driving experience is minimal. Try to gently but firmly apply the brake and gas at the same time. Then the torque supplied by the engine to the wheels will prevent them from blocking and skidding, and braking will be more effective than when braking to skidding. But remember: if the engine starts to stall from such violence over it, you need to loosen the force of the foot on the brake.
In this article, we will consider the features of driving a car in difficult road conditions, more precisely, in conditions of limited visibility.
What conditions for driving on the roads can be classified as difficult? For example, a clear day, visibility - to the horizon, few cars on the road, no pedestrians. This normal conditions or complex? Or, the same day, but there is heavy traffic and a lot of heavy vehicles on the road.
Or, for example, all this happens either during rain or fog. Or, worse, in the snow. It is impossible to answer unambiguously. Moreover, the usual situation for experienced driver may seem difficult for someone who has recently got behind the wheel. And that's okay.
Difficult road conditions are, in general, a combination of factors that may result in either insufficient visibility or poor vehicle controllability.
This may include
- weather conditions (rain, fog, snowfall, bright sun, ice);
- traffic conditions (large-sized vehicles: trucks, tractors with semi-trailers, buses; intersections and roadside areas with limited visibility; closed turns, lifts; objects near the road: trees, bushes, standing transport, buildings, etc.)
- in fact, the car itself (everything inside the cabin can interfere with the view, as well as the performance of individual components, such as a windshield washer, wiper, interior heater, glass heater, etc.).
All of these factors have one thing in common: in such situations, different reasons it is always difficult to see the traffic situation, i.e. we can safely say that visibility is limited or insufficient. These two phrases have different definitions(they need to be remembered for solving), but in life, in relation to traffic situations, It is the same.
Another nuisance when it rains is a puddle. Its insidiousness lies in the fact that it can turn out to be both shallow and deep, hiding a hole under it, all sorts of bumps, stones, etc. And the closer this puddle is to the side of the road, the greater the layer of dirt on its bottom. In no case do not try to overcome a puddle at high speed - you risk losing control of the steering. In addition, water may enter engine compartment, and this is fraught with problems in the electrics and electronics, up to the point that the engine can stall.
Before you enter this puddle, you must slow down in advance. And after leaving the puddle, especially if it turned out to be deep, you need to remember to check the brakes and, if necessary, dry the brake pads by pressing the brake pedal several times while moving.
When it rains often and heavily, it seems that everything around seems to be immersed in fog. If this happens at night, then visibility is further complicated by the reflection of oncoming headlights from the wet road. You need to drive in heavy rain as carefully as when driving in fog. True, in the case of rain, properly working windshield wipers come to the rescue.
Wiper blades should fit snugly against the glass so that there are no blind spots on the surface, but they only work well on clean glass when enough rain water or washer fluid. Therefore, if there are traces of dried dirt on the windshield (for example, from insects, if the bird did not miss, etc.), then it would be better to remove this dirt manually. Either with water, or with cleaners. If the brushes are worn out and do not do the job, they should be replaced.
Driving in heavy snow
When it goes dense snow, then the same feeling is created as in heavy rain - there is a white wall ahead, especially if the snow has already covered the ground and does not melt. What can be seen around? Shadows, contours, lights. Everything is in a fog. When the snow is heavy, the only thing you can see is the right side of the road, perhaps the center line, the parking lights of the front cars, which, by the way, will periodically be lost in the snow. Visibility, again, is poor.
What can be done to improve visibility by choosing traffic tactics? Again - slow down! Move so that it is possible in case of danger to stop within your sight. Increase your distance. Remember that in conditions of limited visibility, you need more time and space to make any maneuver and stop.
If visibility is so limited that you are not able to correctly determine the location of other road users on the roadway, it is best not to risk putting yourself and others at risk. It is better to leave the road, find a convenient place for this, and wait for the visibility conditions to improve there. Nothing urgent is worth the risk. And when you stop, do not forget to turn on the emergency alarm.
In the next article, we will consider the features.
Navigating a series of articles
In order to ensure traffic safety, the driver must take the following measures when driving.
Pulling off the car
Before driving, the driver is obliged to make sure that the road ahead is clear, and that there are no vehicles to the side and behind that he can interfere with the movement. Before you move off, you should turn on the turn signal. At the beginning of the movement, it is necessary to drive a certain distance straight, next to the sidewalk or the roadside, and then smoothly, without interfering with other vehicles, enter the lane and turn off the turn signal.
Movement speed and distance. The permissible speed for given road conditions depends on a number of factors, which include:
- road visibility and about visibility;
- the width of the carriageway and the condition of the pavement;
- traffic intensity of vehicles and pedestrians on a given section of the road;
- arrangement of the road with traffic lights, road signs, markup;
- distance from a moving vehicle to vehicles ahead, etc.
in cities and settlements the speed must not exceed 60 km/h. Outside cities and towns, the speed should not exceed 70 km/h.
Depending on the speed of the vehicle, the driver must choose a distance that guarantees the impossibility of a collision in the event of braking of the vehicle in front.
Overtaking requires skillful calculation from the driver and strict adherence to the rules for performing this maneuver. Overtaking is allowed on the left side of the vehicle in front, provided there is good visibility of the road. WITH right side it is allowed to overtake a vehicle, the driver of which has given a left turn signal and started to perform it.
Before overtaking, the driver must turn on the direction indicator and warn the vehicle being overtaken sound signal(outside the settlement), and at night by switching the headlights.
The driver must imagine whether, if necessary, he will be able to pass with oncoming vehicles that accidentally find themselves in the overtaking zone. The speed of the overtaking vehicle must not exceed the speed limits allowed by traffic rules or road conditions. Before rebuilding in your lane at the end of overtaking, you must turn on the right turn signal and take a place in your lane in such a way that the overtaken car does not slow down and does not change its direction of movement. It is not allowed to overtake at intersections (except for regulated ones), at the end of the rise and on sections of roads with limited visibility with access to the oncoming traffic lane, at railway crossings, as well as vehicles that overtake or bypass.
Braking
Distinguish between service and emergency braking of the car. The process of emergency braking of the car is divided into three phases:
1) path, passable by car during the driver's reaction time (without braking);
2) the path traveled by the car during the operation of the brake actuator;
3) full braking of the car.
Thus, the stopping distance during emergency braking is the distance that the car travels from the moment the driver detects a danger to its complete stop.
The part of the stopping distance from the moment the driver applies an effort to the brake pedal to the stop of the car is called the stopping distance. The main influence on the magnitude of the braking distance is exerted by the speed of the car. In addition, the braking distance is affected by the condition of the road surface, the magnitude of the slope of the road, the condition of the tires of the car, etc.
The condition of the road surface is evaluated by the friction coefficient, which characterizes the friction force between the tire and the road. The value of the adhesion coefficient depends on the quality of the road surface, as well as on other factors (humidity, icing, etc.). The friction force between the tire and the road on wet asphalt is reduced by half, and on icy - about 10 times compared to the friction force on a dry surface.
The degree of wear of the tread pattern of tires, the difference in air pressure in the tires of one axle, the uneven load on the tires also have a significant impact on the friction force between the tire and the road. One of the reasons for the deterioration in the braking efficiency of a car is a decrease in braking torque due to heating. friction linings and brake drums with frequent use of the brakes or their incorrect adjustment.
Wheel lock (skid) during braking, especially when driving on wet and icy roads, leads to tire wear, an increase in braking distance, and loss of control.
In order to ensure traffic safety when working on the line, the driver must take into account the above factors that affect the braking distance of the car.
Service braking of the car in the event of a deliberate stop or speed reduction should be carried out in several steps with a smooth pressure on the brake pedal. This reduces brake heat and reduces the chance of wheel lockup. On slippery sections of the road, the service braking of a vehicle with a manual transmission must be carried out using the engine without disengaging the clutch.
Driving in reverse requires increased attention and caution from the driver. Before starting the movement, the driver must make sure that the way behind is clear and the road conditions allow the car to be reversed without hindrance. In conditions of limited visibility, as well as when filing back, you should use the help of accompanying persons or other persons.
When driving on inclines and tight curves, the driver must drive at a speed that will stop immediately if necessary and give way to vehicles moving uphill. On long slopes, driving with a disengaged gear or clutch is not allowed, and on mountain roads, also towing on a flexible hitch.
Driving in difficult weather conditions
Driving a car in difficult weather conditions (rain, snowfall, fog) becomes much more difficult due to the limited visibility of the road situation from the driver's seat and a decrease in the friction force between the wheels and the road. To ensure driving safety in inclement weather, the driver should take the following measures when driving.
When driving in rainy weather, evaluate the slipperiness of the road and select a safe speed accordingly. To do this, after making sure that there are no cars coming behind, at low speed, make hard braking and assess the slipperiness of the road surface by slowing down the car.
To ensure visibility through windshield cabins in drizzling rain, periodically turn on the windshield wipers, after wetting the glass with water from the washer. In the event of heavy rain or snowfall, when the wipers do not have time to clean the front glass of the cab, drive at low speed to the nearest rest area, exit onto a side road or side widening and wait out the bad weather.
When it rains and in a snowstorm, do not stop at the edge of the steep slopes of the road or in the lowlands.
Dry the brakes after driving through deep puddles. To do this, moving in 1st gear, make several braking until the resistance to movement begins to increase.
When driving in fog, in the event of a sharp decrease in the visibility of the road situation, as well as a loss of orientation, move off the road and wait until the fog clears. In case of emergency, you should continue driving at a speed that ensures an immediate stop.
As a guide when driving in fog, use the center line of the road or the lines of longitudinal markings. When driving in rain, fog, snowfall, the driver must turn on the external lighting devices - side lights and dipped headlights.
Driving at night
Features of visual perception of a person in the dark. In the dark, with poor lighting, the main functions of the eye are violated: visual acuity, color and depth vision; visibility deteriorates due to impaired contrast perception. During the transition from bright illumination to darkness, a person does not see anything at first, and only after a while begins to distinguish objects in the dark. The reverse phenomenon, i.e., the adaptation of the eye to light after being in darkness, is also associated with a temporary loss of visual perception. The greatest danger to the driver is temporary glare from the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. A blinded driver may not have time to slow down when passing, which leads to an emergency.
Use of external lights
With the onset of dusk, in conditions insufficient visibility during the day, when driving in tunnels, the driver must turn on the parking lights. In cities and towns, on illuminated sections of roads, the use of dipped beam headlights is allowed, and on unlit roads, also high beam headlights, provided that there is no oncoming traffic of vehicles.
When using high beam headlights, the driver is obliged to switch the high beam to low beam at least 150 m from oncoming vehicles. Switching high beam on the neighbor is also mandatory in cases where it can blind other road users and in the same direction.
In case of blinding, the driver must slow down and stop in the lane in which he is moving.
With continuous oncoming traffic at night, in order to reduce the glare of the headlights, without changing the position of the head, slightly turn your eyes to the right and navigate when moving to the side of the road.
At stops or parking lots in the absence of road lighting at night or during the day in conditions of insufficient visibility, the driver must turn on the position or parking lights. In the event of a malfunction of these lights, the driver is obliged to install an emergency stop sign (triangle) or a red flashing light behind the vehicle at a distance of 25-30 m.
Climbing
Steep climbs must be overcome in a reduction gear transfer box. It is necessary to determine in advance the steepness of the rise and engage the gear in the gearbox that provides the necessary pulling force on wheels so as not to change gears on the rise. Decrease the air pressure in the tyres, depending on the condition of the ground. It is desirable to overcome the rises in a straight line, since overcoming obliquely, with a roll, causes the unloaded wheels to slip and the car to turn. Turning is allowed only on gentle slopes. If it is impossible to overcome the slope on your own, you should use a winch.
Under good road conditions, short climbs can be overcome from acceleration in the second gear of the transfer case and in higher gears gearboxes.
Overcoming descents
When moving to a long descent (more than 50 m long), the driver must evaluate its steepness and include those gears of the gearbox and transfer case on which he would overcome the climb of such steepness; at the same time, it is strictly forbidden to turn off the engine, as this can lead to the exhaustion of the air supply of the brake drive and turn off the power steering, which reduces the safety of the car. When negotiating such a descent, you must always use engine braking. Descent with the brakes with the gearbox or transfer case disengaged or with the clutch disengaged is not permitted.
If the speed of the crankshaft rises on the descent, it is necessary to periodically slow down the car, reducing its speed.
Overcoming ditches, roadside ditches and ditches
These obstacles must be overcome whenever possible when driving with low speed. In this case, the dimensions of the car should be taken into account. It is necessary to overcome ditches, especially on wet ground, at a right angle, otherwise the car may slip, roll along the ditch or ditch, and then the one-sided redistribution of the load on the wheels will cause the unloaded wheels to slip, which will lead to the need to use a tug or winch.
Driving on dirty country roads and profiled roads on clay and black earth soils
When driving on clay and black earth soils after heavy rain, the vehicle may have side slips, so the driver must be very careful when choosing the direction. When driving, it is necessary to choose relatively horizontal sections of the track, it is necessary to skillfully use the already laid track, which prevents the car from lateral skidding.
Particular difficulties for the driver may arise on excessive wet roads having a steep profile and deep roadside ditches. On such roads, move carefully along the ridge at low speed.
When operating the car during the thaw period, instead of a plug with a cotter pin screwed into the clutch housing, it is necessary to wrap the sealed plug from the spare parts kit.
Tire pressure reduction
When overcoming difficult sections of the road with soft soil, you can reduce the air pressure in the tires depending on the nature of the soil. It should not be abused by reducing the pressure by setting it much lower than it is necessary for traffic conditions. It should also be remembered that the run at reduced pressure is limited, so it is necessary to reduce the pressure only in cases of emergency.
It is forbidden to reduce the pressure when driving on paved roads to increase the smoothness of the ride.
When leaving a difficult area on a paved road, it is necessary to stop the car and increase the air pressure in diagonal tires up to 0.15 MPa (1.5 kgf / cm 2), in radial tires - up to 0.2 MPa (2 kgf / cm 2 ). A further increase in pressure to normal is allowed to be carried out on the move at a speed of not more than 40 km / h.
If the run from reduced pressure exceeds the specified value, the overall tire life will be reduced.
When driving with a load of 5000 kg, it is forbidden to reduce tire pressure.
If the vehicle is driven for a long time high speed the temperature of the air in the tires rises, which causes an increase in pressure; while the pressure in the tires can not be reduced.
While driving, the tire valves on the wheels must be kept open, regardless of the condition of the road. This allows you to constantly monitor the tire pressure on the pressure gauge, as well as timely detect damage to the system and tire punctures.
With a working tire pressure regulation system, it is allowed to continue driving after a tire puncture under conditions of constant maintenance of normal pressure in the tires. As soon as possible, replace the wheel with a punctured tire with a spare or repair the tube.
Overcoming wetlands, sandy areas and virgin snow
Wetlands should be passed in the first gear of the transfer case at a speed of no more than 15 km / h, reducing the preliminary air pressure in the tires.
It is necessary to move along a swampy meadow without stopping, avoiding wheel slip; start the movement smoothly, without jerks. If the wheels begin to slip, you must immediately disengage the clutch and, by engaging the gear reversing, drive back. You need to move in a straight line, without making sharp turns. If necessary, turn smoothly, along a large radius curve. Such a turn almost does not increase the resistance to the movement of the car, which eliminates the possibility of breaking the turf and slipping the wheels, inevitable on sharp turns. Avoid driving on the trail laid in front of the car in front.
sandy areas must also be overcome with reduced air pressure in the tires, depending on the density of the sand and driving conditions. In particularly difficult areas, slippage should not be allowed. If slipping has begun, it is necessary to drive back to accelerate and acquire more speed. When moving in a column, you must follow the trail of the vehicle in front.
Snow up to 500 mm deep is well overcome by the car without reducing the air pressure in the tires. Turns on virgin snow should be carried out in the same way as when driving on a swampy meadow. With a significant thickness of the snow cover that impedes the movement of the car, the pressure should be reduced depending on the density of the snow. When driving in deep loose snow, the same traffic rules should be observed as when driving on sand.
