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. . I
Your Driving and the
Road
' I
Steering
Tips-Driving
on
Curves
(CONT.)
Speed limit signs near curves warm that
you should adjust your speed. Of
course, the posted speeds are based on
good weather and road conditions.
Under less favorable conditions you'll
want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed
as
you
approach a curve, do it before you enter
the curve, while your hont wheels are
straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can
Wive" through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve,
and then accelerate gently into the
straightaway.
When you drive into a curve at night,
it's harder to see the road ahead of you
because it bends away from the straight
beams of your lights. This is one good
reason to drive slower.
I80
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be
more effective than braking. For
example,
you
come over a hill and find
a truck stopped in your lane, or a car
suddenly pulls out €ram nowhere, or a
child darts out from between parked
cars
and
stops right
in front of you. You
can avoid these problems by braking-if
you can stop in time. But sometimes
you can't; there isn't room. That's the
time for evasive action-steering
around the problem.
Your Corvette can perform very well in
emergencies like these. First apply your
brakes. It is better to remove as much
speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the
9
problem, to the left or right depending
on the space available.
An emergency like this requires close
attention and a quick decision. If you
are holding the steering wheel at the
recommended 9
and
3
o'clock positions,
you can turn it a full 180 degrees very
quickly without removing either hand.
But you have to act fast, steer quickly,
and
just as quickly straighten the wheel
once
you have avoided the object. You
must then be prepared
to steer back to
your original lane and then brake to a
controlled stop.
Depending on your speed, this can be
rather violent for an unprepared driver.
This is one of the reasons driving
experts recommend that you use your
safety belts and keep both hands on the
steering wheel.
The fact that such emergency situations
are always possible is a good reason to
practice defensive driving at all times.
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