Cars & Vehicles Safe Driving & Driving Test Techniques

Learn Bad Weather Skills At Your Driving School

After learning all of the basic skills at a driving school in Woodbridge, most students get a sense of satisfaction for a challenging course that will give them a valuable talent. However, learning to drive in bad weather conditions can make up a course in itself that would rival the effort put into the entire coursework before it. Simply put, driving in bad conditions is a completely new ball game for uninitiated drivers, and can easily have fatal consequences for those that do not master the proper techniques.

Three bad weather conditions cause the most and the worst accidents. These are rain, snow, and fog. Of these, the dangers of rain are probably the most underestimated.

The worst danger for rain is right after it begins to sprinkle. This is one of the important facts you will learning at a driving school in Woodbridge. The reason for the rain hazard is that it mixes with the dust deposited previously on the road and creates a slick surface. This is a time to be especially careful that you have the stopping power you think you have. After the rain has been showering for a while and the muddy mixture washes away, the roads become less slick. The worst hazard during this time does not occur until the car reaches a speed of 30 mph or higher depending on the tires. This hazard is called hydroplaning, and happens when the car begins to ski on the water. Modern roads are careful to supply adequate draining. However, when driving on older roads in heavy rain, it is a good idea to reduce your speed to avoid the hydroplane effect.

The risks of driving on snow are more respected but harder to deal with. This is another skill you can learn at a driving school in Woodbridge. Hard, crunchy snow can actually provide better traction than a standard road. However, it may hide an icy layer underneath. In certain conditions, the icy layer can be invisible on a black road. This is known as black ice, and is like driving on a skating rink. The idea of driving on ice is you are usually all right as long as all four wheels face the same friction with the road. Even if the ice is uniformly slick, a car will end up moving in the same direction because of momentum. However, a differential of friction, say a patch of ice that effects the right wheels only, can easily cause a spin. If this happens, keep your head and turn in the direction of the spin. This takes a lot of practice. It is not the worst idea to go out on an icy day to an abandoned parking lot and practice your snow driving skills.

Fog may be the worst hazard of all. If you are driving fast enough where you cannot stop within the range of your visibility, then you are taking a huge chance. The problem with fog is that many drivers underestimate their stopping speed, and in their frustration always tend to drive faster than is safe. Even if you drive with all caution, if you are on the street during fog, you are a target for other drivers. If possible, stay off the street during fog. This would be the best advice you could get from a driving school in Woodbridge.
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