News Are you using the 'Limit Point'?
In the fifth of our occasional series of short articles on driving and road safety Ken Wilson, from Pollington, explains the dangers of driving on out country's rural roads.
First of all I must apologise for the error in the last article (December 20) in relation to positioning for bends. It should have read as follows:
Adopt the correct position for the bend in good time. e.g. right hand bends to the left hand side. Left hand bends up to the centre line.
This week I would like to continue with the theme of cornering on rural roads and how to assess a bend or corner in order to negotiate it at the correct speed. It is very easy to deal with bends that we are familiar with, as we know from experience exactly how quickly we can take a car round those particular bends and the gear that is required to do so safely. However, when we venture onto roads that are new to us, it all becomes a little more difficult.
It is with this in mind that I would like to tell you about the 'Limit Point' and how to read a bend. More experienced drivers may remember this as the 'Arrow Head.'
If you are to look down railway lines, the perception is the further into the distance you look, the nearer together they appear.
This is also applicable to a road, and when the road turns into a bend then a point is formed as the nearside and offside verges come together. This is known as the 'Limit Point'. It is the limit of your view of the road surface as it turns into a bend.
When driving in any situation, the Golden Rule is that you must always be able to stop within the distance you can see.
The greater the distance between you and the Limit Point the faster you can go. The closer you are to the Limit Point, the more you need to reduce your speed as the amount of space you need to stop is reduced. In very simple terms, you need to match the speed of your car to the speed and movement of the Limit Point. If the Limit Point appears to remain still, then a reduction of speed is necessary.
Once the point starts to move at the same speed as the car it is important to engage a flexible gear to suit the speed prior to turning into the bend.
Maintain a constant speed round the bend until such time as the view starts to increase, and the Limit Point starts to move away more quickly.
At this point you can start to accelerate at a consistent rate to the view opening.
Practise using the Limit Point and you will always find you can stop safely within the distance you can see to be clear.
However, a word of warning: we must consider the condition of the road surface at the time, as if it is frosty or muddy then the Limit Point may still take you into the bend too fast.
Next time I will discuss other useful things to look out for which will further assist you in dealing with bends safely. Till then, take care!
Published on 10th January 2008 in News.
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