XI.

Demands of Driving on an Open Highway

 

Areas of Potential Hazards

Driving on an open highway is different than driving on freeways or on city streets.

Although the traffic on an open highway is significantly less congested than, say, on freeways, there are potential hazards of different nature.

bulletWatch for unmarked farm and field driveways with slow moving vehicles such as pick-up trucks and tractors. You may also have diminished visibility due to tall crops, bushes, barns and farm houses.
bulletLivestock is always a potential hazard on open highways. Slow down and give them wide berth.
bulletSome roads may not be maintained as well as city streets, and there may be sharp curves, bumps and uneven surface conditions.
bulletUnmarked shoulders may be unsafe due to loose gravel and sand. You may skid and lose control of your vehicle.
bulletYou may be passing through small towns with roadside stands, gas stations and country stores. Watch for vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Other Users of the Roadway

Trucks

Trucks would be traveling at 55 mph or less. Passing is not advised because you may not be able to see around trucks due to their large size.

Safe Driving Tips: Sharing the Road with Trucks

Large Trucks (Big Rigs) and RVs

To reduce the chance of a collision with a large truck (big rigs), motorists must be familiar with a big rig's physical capabilities and how they maneuver.

Braking

Large trucks take longer to stop than a car traveling at the same speed. The average passenger vehicle traveling at 55 mph can stop in about 225 feet (does not include reaction time.) However, a large truck traveling at the same speed can take more than 400 feet to stop (does not include reaction time). Don't pull in front of a large truck and suddenly slow down or stop. The trucker will not be able to stop quickly enough to avoid crashing into you.

Turning

For all turning vehicles, the rear wheels follow a shorter path than the front wheels. The longer the vehicle, the greater the difference. This is why big rig drivers must often swing out to the left as the first step in making a right turn. When you follow a big rig, look at its turn signals before you start the pass. If you think the truck is turning left - wait a second and check the turn signals again. The driver may actually be turning right.


 Trucker's Blind Spot

Passenger vehicle drivers falsely assume that a trucker can see the road better because they are higher off the road. While truckers do have a better forward view and bigger mirrors, they still have serious blind spots. Your vehicle can get lost in those blind spots. If you stay in those blind spots you block the trucker's ability to take evasive action to avoid a dangerous situation. Generally speaking, if you can't see the truck driver in his or her side mirrors, he or she can't see you. These blind spots are often called the "NO ZONE."

 

Maneuverability

Trucks are designed to transport products and they are not as maneuverable as passenger vehicles. They take more space for turns and they weigh more. On multilane highways and freeways, large trucks usually stay in the center portion of the lane to help the flow of traffic. This also increases the trucker's options in case he or she must change lanes to avoid a hazard. Here are some of the most common mistakes passenger vehicle drivers must avoid when driving around large trucks.

•     Cutting off a truck in traffic or on the highway to reach your exit or turn. Cutting into the open space in front of a truck is dangerous. Trying to beat a truck to a single-lane construction zone, for example, removes the truck driver's cushion of safety and places you in danger also. Slow down and take your turn entering the construction zone. Don't speed up to pass a truck so you can exit the roadway. Take a moment to slow down and exit behind a truck - it will only take you a few extra seconds.

•     Don't linger alongside a truck when passing. Always pass a large truck on the left side and after you have passed the truck move ahead of it. If you linger beside the truck, you make it very difficult, if not impossible, for the trucker to take evasive action if an obstacle appears in the road ahead.

•     Following too closely or tailgating. When you follow behind a truck and you cannot see the truck driver's rearview mirrors, the trucker has no way of knowing you are there. Tailgating a truck, or any vehicle, is dangerous because you take away your own cushion of safety. Where will you go when the vehicle in front of you stops quickly?

•     Never underestimate the size and speed of an approaching tractor-trailer. A large tractor-trailer often appears to be traveling at a slower speed because of its large size. Many passenger vehicle-large truck accidents take place at intersections because the passenger vehicle driver did not realize how close the truck was or how quickly it was traveling.

Slow-Moving Vehicles

Some vehicles have trouble keeping up with the speed of traffic. Look for these vehicles and adjust your speed before you reach them.

Farm tractors, animal-drawn carts, and road maintenance vehicles usually travel 25 mph or less. Slow-moving vehicles may have an orange triangle on the back.

Watch for large trucks and small, underpowered cars because on long or steep hills they lose speed. When entering traffic, they take longer to get up to speed.

Animal-Drawn Vehicles            

Horse-drawn vehicles and riders of horses or other animals are entitled to share the road with you. It is a traffic offense to scare horses or stampede livestock. Slow down or stop, if necessary, and when requested to do so by the riders or herders.

Environment

Hills or Curves

To pass safely, you must be able to see at least one-third of a mile. Any time your view is blocked by a hill or a curve, you should assume that there is an on coming car just out of sight. This means you should only pass if a hill or curve ahead is more than one-third of a mile away.

You must not drive on the left side of a roadway when coming to a curve or the top of a hill where you can't see far enough ahead to be sure it is safe to pass.

While going uphill, shift to a lower gear; you'll have more power to get up the hill. If going downhill, do not ride your brakes as that will cause them to overheat and fail.

Mountain Driving

Be sure that your vehicle is in proper condition for mountain driving. Check the brakes, water in the radiator, oil, tires, lights, etc. for difficult driving on mountain roads. Your car has a greater chance of getting overheated on steep roads. If this happens, pull of the road and wait for the engine to cool down. Vapor lock could be another problem causing your vehicle to stall.

On A One-Lane Mountain Road

When two vehicles meet on a steep road where neither can pass, the vehicle facing downhill must back up until the vehicle going uphill can pass. (The driver going downhill has the greater amount of control when backing up. )

Meeting Other Vehicles on Open Roadway

There may be a long line of cars coming from the other direction. Always be aware of a driver from that line who wants pass a vehicle; he'll be in your lane. Slow down and warn him; give him room to merge back.

While driving an open highway at night you can use your high beams for greater or visibility, but dim you lights within 500 ft. of an oncoming vehicle. Do not look directly into oncoming headlights; look at the right hand edge of the road.

Road Conditions

We discussed above special demands placed on open highway driving. To recap, keep in mind five potential problem areas:

•     Rough roads

•     Loss of traction due to loose gravel

•     Narrow roads

•     Limited field of view

•     Obstructed line of sight.

Take Chapter 11 Quiz.

Select only one answer per question and only complete chapter 11 questions. After answering the chapter eleven questions, hit the submit button to find out your score. You must answer 100% of the questions correctly to move on to the next chapter.