Essential experience when driving on bad roads

1. Road with many potholes

When driving on a road with many potholes, reduce speed, shift to a low gear and maintain a steady throttle.

When crossing a small ditch across the road, you must reduce speed, shift to a low gear and slowly let the car cross the ditch before increasing speed and driving normally.

To cross a large ditch across the road, you must shift into first gear, slowly lower the two front wheels into the ditch, increase the throttle to lift the two front wheels out of the ditch, continue to slowly lower the rear wheels into the ditch, then gradually increase the throttle to lift the car out of the ditch. In case of a large and deep ditch, you must drive diagonally across the ditch, lower each wheel into and out of the ditch, avoiding scratching the undercarriage.

2. Slippery, muddy road

When driving on slippery roads, keep a steady grip on the steering wheel and drive slowly. When entering a curve, keep a steady grip on the throttle, do not turn the steering wheel too much, do not brake suddenly, just brake lightly to feel the road surface.

When the car is moving on a muddy road, the wheels are prone to spin and slide sideways; release the accelerator pedal, turn the steering wheel to adjust the two front wheels just enough to keep them turning in the direction you want to move out of the mud. Do not turn the steering wheel to adjust the two front wheels more, as this will increase the rolling force when the car gets out of the mud and slides.

To avoid getting stuck in the mud, prepare chains in your car. Attach the chains to the front wheels before driving in the mud.

In addition to the above measures, you can deflate the tires to help the car get through muddy, slippery roads.

3. Crossing the narrow bridge

When driving a car over a wide and flat bridge, the driving operation is the same as on a flat road.

When driving over a narrow bridge or an uneven bridge, use low gear and maintain a steady speed to pass slowly, avoiding the edge of the bridge. Do not accelerate suddenly, change gears or brake suddenly on the bridge.

4. By ferry

Before crossing the ferry, you must park in the designated area and take all safety measures: Pull the handbrake tightly, put the car in first or reverse gear depending on the slope of the road; chock the car securely when necessary.

The steps to take when getting off the ferry are as follows: Put the car in 1st gear and drive perpendicular to the edge of the ferry bridge (except for small cars which can drive diagonally due to their low chassis). Smoothly combine the accelerator and brake movements so that the wheels can approach and smoothly pass the ferry bridge.

Align the line precisely, combine clutch and brake operations to slowly move into the parking position.

It is necessary to keep a necessary distance from the vehicle in front to prevent the vehicle in front from slipping down the hill, and control the wheel to smoothly reach the ferry bridge.

5. Driving at night

Safe night driving requires being able to stop within the distance you can see. Use your fog lights whenever it is foggy or raining.

When approaching an oncoming vehicle, you must switch from high beam to low beam (high beam to low beam) to avoid blinding the oncoming driver.

Do not look directly at the headlights of oncoming vehicles. Look diagonally to the right in the direction of your vehicle's movement.

When overtaking, choose a wide, flat area, turn on your low beams and flash your high beams. If an obstacle appears, give way or stop the vehicle.

When reversing, turning around or driving on a narrow road, you must have someone guide you or get out to observe the terrain first.

6. Driving in bad weather conditions

When it rains, the road is most slippery during the first half hour because the road surface has not been washed clean. Therefore, you must reduce your speed and allow at least double the normal distance to the vehicle in front.

When there is strong wind, fog or flooded road, visibility is limited, making it difficult to observe and judge road conditions. Therefore, drivers need to perform the following operations:

Turn on low beam and yellow lights (if available); Control wipers and defrosters.

Drive slowly so you can see clearly; Do not drive too close to the curb...

If it feels unsafe (rain is too heavy or fog is too thick to see clearly), stop the vehicle. After heavy rain, carefully observe the road surface condition to prevent landslides.