Dealing with Artic conditions

Just after looking at the weather forecast on the telly, and I see a band of very cold weather on our doorstep. Hoping it won't reach us this time, but you can be sure we will see some frost over the coming weeks. We had one morning of iced up windscreens so far, but the roads seemed fine as least in the midlands and west.
So what can you do to minimize the impact of the cold weather on your driving?
Now I would love to say that even a threat of freezing conditions would immediately bring out the lorries for gritting our roads, but I think we all know that this in not true. True, motorways and the National primary roads will get gritted, but you should still be aware of the slip roads and any exposed bridges.

Dealing with Ice.

Drive at a much lower speed, so that your braking can be smooth and gentle. Make sure to leave yourself adequate braking distance from the vehicle in front. As much as 10 seconds would not be out of place. Use gentle steering movements, and do not risk taking any action that might induce a slide.
Remember that your brakes will not get you out of trouble when tyre grip is poor. In fact you are more likely to get into trouble by using your brakes. You should try to use engine braking by changing down gears in good time. Be careful with the clutch and accelerator when changing as they can also cause a skid.
A good way of thinking about a skid is this: A vehicle will skid when the driver is asking more from it with braking, acceleration, or steering than is possible with the amount of grip the tyres have on the road at that point in time.
It is possible to drive steadily on a level road without skidding, it is only when you alter your speed or direction that you may skid.
If you do feel a skid don't panic ease off the accelerator, and if possible stay off the brakes. Try to make a slight movement of the steering in the same direction as the skid, this will bring the front and back wheels into line again. It is very important not to over correct as you will end up skidding in the opposite direction.
Most cars are now front wheel drive, so a lot of front wheel skids are caused by applying to much power to the front wheels by over accelerating.

Dealing with Snow.

Snow is a very different matter to deal with. I teach my pupils that they should think that they are walking on eggs without breaking them. ( this is how gentle all the controls should be used). Try to drive in as high a gear as possible as this will reduce the chance of loss of wheel traction. Make sure to time your  driving so that you do not have to touch the brakes while taking a corner. try to take corners at a steady speed, in as high a gear as you feel safe with.
Take good observation of the road surface if is snowing. If possible keep to the left lane as the traffic will tend to keep this lane clear. Make sure to avoid putting your wheels in the ridges that develop as the snow accumulates.
When starting off in snow avoid wheel-spin. This will only dig your wheels in deeper into the snow. Try moving your car slightly forward and backwards to get out of the rut you are in.
If you are in the unlucky position of seeing a car coming towards you that is out of control, there may not be much you can do about it. Use engine braking if you have time, and avoid any harsh movements.

Do you really need to take that journey?

Ask yourself whether your journey is necessary. When you are out driving in bad weather conditions you should at least be prepared, by having plenty of fuel, a shovel,  snow chains, mats for gripping,
extra warm clothing, chocolate bars, and water.

• Make sure that your tyres are correctly inflated
• Check that your tyres have the necessary tread depth
• make sure your steering is working correctly with no undue wear
• Make sure your suspension is up to standard
• Have your windscreen washer  filled with water and that it has washer fluid to the correct proportion

 

Causes of skidding:

• Skidding is caused by drive too fast for the circumstances
• Sudden or harsh braking
• excessive acceleration
• harsh or excessive steering

Remember you will skid if one or more of your tyres loses their grip on the road, and you the driver are responsible for this happening.
Do not rely on your antilock braking system  to stop your wheels from locking up on a very slippery surface.  If you cause the antilock braking system to be activated then you are not driving within a safe or desirable speed limit.
Some cars are fitted with traction control systems, but they can differ from one manufacture to another. You must check your vehicle handbook and follow their advice on the correct use in a skid situation.

Information on vehicle developments

Antilock brakes (ABS). Most new vehicle are now fitted with ABS, this system is designed to sense  the slowing down of the vehicle, and if it should exceed a  programmed amount, then it will release the pressure of the brakes, and so let the wheels rotate again before they lock up. The drive must maintain full pressure on the brake pedal for the ABS to work correctly. It can activate a couple of times a second if necessary. Remember that it does not increase the grip of the tyres on the road surface, and in most case will cause the car to stop in a slightly shorter distance. On a extremely slippery surface it will increase the stopping distance.
Traction control can improve steering and vehicle stability. It does this by controlling the engine power to individual wheels.  This is very  efficient if one wheel is on a normal surface, and the other wheel is on a slippery surface like snow or ice.
Four wheel drive can give you more of a chance in keeping your vehicle moving on a slippery surface, especially if going uphill. It does this applying power to all four wheels so that the chance of wheel spin is much less. Again remember that it will not stop you from losing control if you are going to fast and have to react quickly.
Safe driving this winter.
Declan Duignan
Duignan school of motoring
www.duignan.ie

Entering a Dual Carriageway

I decide to write this blog after having to deal with two incidents of cars forcing their way onto a dual carriageway. Over a period of a week I was forced to slow down to allow other drivers out in front of me. I also witnessed it happening to another driver in front of me on another occasion. In this case not only did they pull out and cause the driver on the carriageway to brake hard they then proceeded to move out to the right lane and stay there for about 5 kilometres.
Dual carriageways are becoming more common on main roads, and if used correctly they do help traffic move faster and more safely, but there are a number of special points to take into account.
Firstly I will give a few general pointers about using a dual carriageway.
Use lanes properly; stay to the middle of your lane until you need to move to another one. Lane markings do two things, both of them very important. They ensure that the available space is used to the best advantage. They also provide a guide for  the safety of the traffic. Your driving should be planned so that you follow a course without sudden changes. You should never move from one lane to another without good reason. Weaving in and out or straddling lines is bad driving. Remember that you should only overtake on the right ( except in a few special circumstances covered in the rules of the road ).
If there is a large amount of slow moving traffic  in the nearside lane, there is no need to go back into that lane each time you overtake. It might be better to stay in the right-hand lane  than to zig-zag in and out. However you must be sensible about this. Don't hog the right- hand lane and prevent others from overtaking you. If the person behind you wants to overtake you, you could make matters worse by infuriating them and encourage them to overtake you on the left. Remember even if you are already at the maximum speed, it is not your duty to stop others going faster by staying in the right-hand lane.

Entering a dual carriageway.

If entering a dual carriageway from a slip road, which leads into an acceleration lane, you should use this extra piece of road to adjust to the carriageway traffic and its speed before you become part of it.
You must yield to traffic already on the carriageway, taking your place only when there is a suitable gap in the left -hand lane of the carriageway.
If you have to wait for a suitable gap, then wait in the acceleration lane, and don't force your way into the traffic stream or drive along the hard shoulder. When you have joined stay  in the left lane  until you have time to judge the speed of the traffic already on the carriageway.
Your drive along the slip road and the acceleration lane should be timed so that you can match the speed on the left lane of the carriageway.  Ideally you should be able to slip into the traffic without losing your speed.  Keep a good eye on your mirrors and  just before joining check your bind spot by giving a quick glance over your shoulder. Remember that early observation and awareness means you  will find it easier to blend in smoothly with the other traffic.
Generally the slip roads on a dual carriageway are shorter than that of a motorway, so you must be more alert on your approach.
 As you approach and pass a slip road be always  aware of traffic about to join the carriageway.
If you are already on a dual carriageway travelling in the left lane and a vehicle is approaching on the slip road, if traffic allows you should move over to the right lane and let them enter easily. This is usually appreciated by truck drivers who are less able to adjust their speed to blend in with the traffic flow.
Use your MSM and also PSL routine before joining the carriageway.
MSM = Mirror - Signal - Manoeuvre
PSL  = Position - Speed - Look

I hope that this is of interest and helps someone out there on the roads.
Declan Duignan
www.duignan.ie

Tyres: Why you check them on a regular basis.

Correct tyre pressure is vital to your safety on the road. Under-inflated tyres affect handling and grip, potentially causing irregular or unpredictable vehicle behaviour. They are also much more likely to suffer from a dangerous blowout, especially on high-speed motorway journeys.
 By keeping your tyres at their correct pressure, your running costs are also reduced. Under-inflated tyres require a bigger force to make them turn, so your car uses more fuel. Additionally, tyres which are not set to their correct pressure wear out more quickly. So, to benefit from lower fuel bills, longer tyre life, increased safety and reduced CO2 emissions, make sure you check your tyre pressures at least once a month.  You should also check them before a long journey, or if you are carrying extra weight in your vehicle
The most basic inspection, which should be carried out at least once a month, is simply checking that your tyres are properly inflated.
Tread depth and tyre condition are also important, remember that the minimum tread depth is 1.6 mm but you should change your tyres before they reach this stage. All tyres are fitted with tread wear indicators which is a little bar connecting the ribs of the tyres. When any of them become visible it is time to replace your tyres.

Performance labelling

A new EC regulation requires some tyres to have performance labels, with the aim of encouraging people to purchase tyres with superior environmental and safety performance, and also encourage tyre manufacturers to produce tyres whose performance exceeds the minimum requirements specified in EU Regulations.
This regulation requires that tyres manufactured from 1st July 2012 for cars, light commercial vehicles and heavy trucks and placed on sale from 1st November 2012, carry a label showing the tyre's wet grip, fuel efficiency and noise performance. The tyre labels are similar to the labelling already in use for household goods such as washing machines and dishwashers.  Each tyre will be given a performance rating from A-G excluding D to avoid an average performing tyre.
Declan Duignan
www.duignan.ie

Driving hazards at this time of year

 Sun Blindness or Sunstrike

Sunstrike can occur at any time during the day, but is most likely during sunrise or sunset, when the sun’s rays hit your windscreen at a low angle.
To avoid a crash, follow the simple guidelines shown below.

Reducing the danger of sunstrike

• Be prepared for possible sunstrike when driving at sunrise or sunset, especially when turning or driving towards the sun.
• Be especially careful in the autumn and winter months, when sunstrike is more likely to occur because the sun is lower in the sky.
• Keep your windscreen clean, inside and out. Dust and dirt on the windscreen can make the effects of sun blindness much worse.
• Check your windscreen washer container and top up if necessary.
• Always carry a cloth in your car for cleaning the windscreen.
• Wear sunglasses when driving with the sun in your eyes.
• Use your car's sun visors to block the sun.
• If you experience sunstrike, it may be best to pull over and wait for a few minutes until your eyes adjust or visibility improves. Remember if you can't see where you are going: Stop.
• Be careful if snow has fallen and the sky is clear – sunlight shining on snow can cause 'snow blindness', which produces similar effects to sunstrike.

For more information on driving safely check out my website. www.duignan.ie
Declan Duignan

Hazards for this time of year

Be careful when driving in bright sunlight at this time of  the year. You may suddenly find your vision of the road ahead very diminished. This can happen early in the morning or early evening when the Sun is low. Slow or stop if necessary and remember that if can't see where you are going then don't go: Stop. Before you start your journey make sure windows are clean inside and out. Check the water in  the windscreen washer container and top if necessary. Always have a cloth for cleaning the window on the inside, and use heater controls to keep the window from misting up.

Replacing Light bulbs

You know when one bulb blows a few more are going to go within a few weeks. Well this is the case with me anyway. Now I don't have a problem with this as their life span should be similar.
What really annoys me is the time it now takes to replace one of those bulbs. I am pretty sure that the so called engineer or designer that designed the lamps and their positioning has never had the pleasure of replacing a bulb once the units are on the car.
Now this is not a new problem, I owned a Fiat Punto and you needed the wheel brace to open a bolt when you wanted to replace a brake light bulb. I think it took about a half an hour to replace a brake light bulb on a Fiesta. This was a major problem when you had someone doing a driving test and the bulb blowing just before the test. It is a bigger problem now as the driving tester won't take someone out on a test if the two side brake lights are not working.
Anyway the reason for my gripe tonight is I am just after replacing a headlight bulb on a Peugeot 308 passenger side. It was cold and freezing and you would need to be double jointed to get at the bulb. No right view so you can't see what you are doing, and then trying to get the clips off. When it is finally removed you now have to figure out where the groove is for the bulb to sit back into. You might say why didn't you look at it as it was coming out, that would have been a good idea. The only problem with this; you can't look and contort yourself at the same time. Again about a half hour's work.
Ok so maybe I am getting too old for this or my hands are not as flexible as they used to be, but I am still of the opinion that the design is what the problem is.
Let me know if you agree or disagree, I will be interested in your opinion.
Declan Duignan
www.duignan.eu

Road Design on Boyle to Sligo Road At Castlebaldwin
Now I am not an engineer, but I am someone who uses the roads quite a lot. I have travelled on the Boyle to Sligo (N4)every week over the last few years. I was delighted when Sligo County council or the NRA started to work on the the section after Castlebaldwin on the Sligo side. It is definately a major improvement on the road that was already there. I think it is due to finish shortly as they are working on the sides and generally tidying up.
But here comes my gripe: When coing from Sligo there is a turn off to the right and on the main carraigeway there is an arrow for straight ahead and an arrow to turn off right. So far so good you might say, but there is no room for a car to move out to the right they are still on the main carraigeway. Now what really is annoying is that there is a massive amount of a hard shoulder on the left. So why could they not have made the road with a lane to turn right and use some of or all of the hard shoulder for traffic going straight on? Who is getting paid to do a design like this?
Some years back when the Curlew bypass was built a similiar problem existed. If you were coming from Carrick-on-Shannon towards Sligo and wanted to turn off for Ballyfarnon you had to move out to the overtaking lane and wait in it to turn right, if traffic was coming from Sligo. A lethal situation. It took a few years for them to change the layout of that juntion, all they needed to do was to change road markings.
Maybe the same designer is involved with this road design at Castebaldwin.
Declan
www.duignan.eu
Road design at Castlebaldwin