The SAS Survival Driver’s Handbook. John Wiseman

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      Make sure that the beam of your dipped headlights is correctly adjusted so as not to dazzle other road users, while at the same time offering you a clear view of the road ahead. When the vehicle is loaded, or towing a heavy trailer, the headlights usually require adjusting; on some cars this can be done from the driver’s seat. If in doubt, ask your garage to reset the headlights.

      Always check when you start the car that the rear fog lights have not been left on by mistake. These can temporarily blind other motorists with their glare, causing accidents. They are for use in very poor visibility only.

      Brake lights provide a useful signal to following drivers, so use the brakes rather than changing down the gears to lose speed.

      Headlights can be flashed to warn others of your presence. Many drivers flash their lights to signal a pedestrian to cross the road, or another driver to emerge from a side road, but this can lead to accidents. It’s all too easy to misinterpret what is intended by the signal, and in any case it is up to other road users to use their own judgement as to when it is safe for them to proceed — there may be hazards you cannot see which would place them in jeopardy.

       Most countries have laws requiring all vehicles to be fitted with two headlights to the front of white (or yellow — see Travelling Abroad in Long Journeys), which must be permanently dipped or fitted with a dipping device. Headlights must be switched off when the vehicle is stationary, except at traffic lights or other temporary stops. Always use your headlights when driving after lighting-up time (unless street lights are less than 200 metres apart) and in poor daytime visibility. In addition, vehicles must have two side lamps at the front, showing white through frosted glass. It is illegal to have a red light showing at the front.

      At the rear you must have two red tail lights, two red reflectors (which on some cars are combined with the tail lights). Cars registered after 1971 must have brake or stop lights which display a non-flashing red light when the foot brake is applied. The only white lights permitted at the back of the car are the number plate lamp and the reversing lights.

      Amber direction indicators which flash between 60 and 120 times a minute are required on vehicles registered after 1965. Rear fog lamps are compulsory on all cars registered after 1980. These must only be used during adverse weather conditions where visibility is less than 100 metres — it is illegal to turn them on at other times.

HORN

      The horn allows you to warn other road users of your presence. A brief toot should be sufficient to alert a driver or pedestrian about to embark on a collision course because they haven’t noticed you are there. A long horn note should be used when approaching a blind spot like the crest of a hill, a sharp bend in a country lane, or a hump-backed bridge.

      Remember that using the horn does not give you the right of way. For a start, there’s no guarantee that it will be heard. Pedestrians who are hard of hearing or drivers of noisy heavy goods vehicles may not hear your horn. If a pedestrian doesn’t look round at the sound of the horn, assume they haven’t heard you. Use your headlights to signal to other drivers where noise may drown out the horn. When approaching a blind bend or other hazard, slow down and be prepared to stop if necessary. NEVER use the horn to rebuke other road users — that’s a recipe for road rage.

       In most countries there are laws prohibiting sounding your horn if your vehicle is stationary (except when another moving vehicle presents a danger to you).

      There are also laws governing when a horn can be sounded in built-up areas (usually defined as areas where the street lights are less than 200 yards/metres apart). The time span varies from country to country, but as a general rule you should never use the horn at night unless it’s an emergency.

ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM

      An increasing number of new cars, especially high-specification models, are now fitted with an anti-lock brake system (ABS). This sophisticated form of braking can be extremely useful in an emergency as it helps to maintain traction under severe braking by preventing the wheels from locking and skidding.

      A sensor control attached to each wheel detects when the wheel is about to lock and responds by automatically releasing the brake and then re-applying it several times a second. You can feel this happening through the brake pedal, which pulsates up and down. There’s no need for you to pump the brakes — in fact, pumping the brake pedal will interfere with the ABS’s operation. And, whereas with ordinary brakes you have to take great care when braking in slippery conditions for fear of causing a skid, ABS allows you to brake as hard as you can on wet and slippery surfaces without losing control of the steering.

      However, ABS has its limitations. If you try dangerous stunts like taking a corner too fast or braking at the very last minute, it can’t prevent accidents occurring. And on loose gravel or snow, where all four wheels may lose traction, anti-lock brakes may actually take longer to stop the car than a conventional braking system.

      Cars fitted with ABS have a light on the dashboard which tells you when there’s a fault in the system. Don’t try to investigate yourself — see an expert. Should a malfunction with the ABS occur, the ordinary brakes will take over.

STABILITY

      Vehicles which are low to the ground with a wheel close to each corner offer greater stability than those designed for off-road use, which tend to be taller, with a high centre of gravity. When using off-road vehicles on normal roads, take care — especially when turning corners or changing direction — as the handling is not the same as for a front-wheel drive. Special courses are available — see advertisements in specialist motoring magazines, or consult your dealer for advice.

FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE (4WD)

      In slippery conditions or on rough terrain, 4WD improves the grip that the tyres have on the road. It is now available in some conventional cars, as well as models designed specifically for off-road use. Ideal if you need a vehicle that can work in all weather and cope with difficult surfaces, but bear in mind that conventional-style cars with low ground clearance cannot cope with soft mud or sandy surfaces in the way that true off-road vehicles can.

Crash Protection

      The real test of a car’s crashworthiness is whether it can succeed in making severe accidents survivable. And if there’s a single factor which gives car occupants a better chance of walking away from a crash than any other it’s the integrity of the car’s structure. A passenger compartment which suffers major distortion on impact (doors crumpling inward in a side-on collision; pillars that collapse and instruments that intrude in a head-on collision) will offer little protection to those inside.

      Crash tests are the best means of measuring how well a car will withstand impact. Dummies packed with sensors occupy the driver’s and passengers’ seats, and the car is rammed into a concrete block. By analysing the wreck and the readings from the dummies, scientists can calculate the risk of injury to different parts of the body. Some of the results of these tests are published in consumer magazines, and if you’re buying a car it’s worth finding out how well that model performed СКАЧАТЬ