To become a driver, you must complete training at a driving school and pass a driving exam. And now, after a couple of months, after literally a couple of hours behind the wheel with an instructor, a newly-made driver sets out on the road. In most cases, such a "beginner" only knows how to get under way, brake and somehow turn. Over time, he gains experience, however, to become a good driver, experience alone is not enough. The correct driving technique is also required. Today we will talk about it, in particular about such an important element of driving as driving in corners.
The turn can be conditionally divided into three main stages: braking, entering the turn, exiting it. Let's deal with each of them in more detail.
1. Braking
It is necessary to brake before turning in advance, while turning on the turn signal, in order to communicate your intentions to other drivers. It is necessary to brake while the car is going straight. Release the brake pedal before turning the steering wheel. The fact is that the wheels have a limited reserve of traction. Let's say that when we brake, we are using 60 percent of the grip. When turning, we need another 40 percent. If we do these two actions at the same time, we will use up all the stock available to us, the wheels will start screeching and there will be a possibility of skidding.
If we are talking about a car with a manual transmission, then during braking we also need to choose the right gear to exit the turn. It is absolutely unacceptable to coast around a turn. In this case, if the driver goes too far with speed, he will not have the opportunity to correct the situation by "dragging" the car into a turn under traction.
2. Entering a turn
So we drove up to the corner entry point, having previously braked to the required speed, switched on the required gear and dropped the brake pedal. Now comes the most important stage - entering the turn. The trajectory in the bend is very dependent on the type of bend, but in general it is necessary to go from the widest point at the entrance to the apex (geometric center of the bend) and again to the widest point, only this time at the exit. The steering wheel must be turned in one step at the entry point. Passing the apex, the steering wheel should already "straighten", and the car should begin to accelerate. If, after the apex, the driver needs to turn the steering wheel, it means he made a mistake with the entry point and turned the steering wheel too early.
Novate.ru experts draw attention to the fact that with all this, it is necessary to maintain the limits of your line. So, often when turning to the left, drivers strongly "cut" the corner, driving into the oncoming lane, which greatly increases the danger of maneuvering.
3. Exit
The exit is a consequence of all the previous actions. If braking and entering the corner were done correctly, then there should be no problems with the exit. The indicator of correctness will be the fact that the driver, passing by the apex, straightens the trajectory and begins to accelerate.
It is important to perform all actions as smoothly as possible. The ability to act smoothly, but at the same time quickly is one of the main indicators of a driver's skill. You can see how inept drivers try to go fast and start to move fussy themselves. They turn the steering wheel excessively and brake. As a result, the car is exposed to increased loads - it bites its nose, squeaks its wheels, and in this case, in fact, almost no speed is added. Therefore, every driver needs to strive for smoothness.
4. Fast turns (arcs)
In general, turns can be divided into "slow" and "fast". Slow turns are all city turns, such as intersection turns, U-turns, courtyards. Fast arcs are high-speed arcs on the track. The basic rules for cornering are the same for both "slow" and "fast" corners. However, fast turns, due to the high speed of passage, do not forgive mistakes. They must be driven at a safe speed.
The steering wheel turns once at the entrance. Here you need to learn how to accurately determine the steering angle, so that later you can only make minor adjustments. Any sharp turns are fraught with loss of grip. Braking in an arc is highly discouraged. If, nevertheless, the driver went overboard with speed, you need to slow down very carefully, not letting the wheels slip into a skid.
5. Gaze guidance
One of the most important driving rules: "the car goes where the driver is looking." Our brains are designed in such a way that our hands follow our gaze. Therefore, when turning, you need to teach to direct your gaze not to the avoided obstacle, not to the side of the road, but to where the driver wants to go. So the rider will be able to see the oncoming car much earlier, and his hands will more accurately drive the car.
Of course, everything written above is just a theory that does not make sense without practice. To truly master driving, you need to not just drive a car, but try to drive it, constantly improving your skills. Extreme / emergency driving courses will help a lot in this. Having learned to apply all the knowledge gained about driving in practice, the driver will significantly increase the safety of his driving and the comfort of passengers. Continuing the topic, read: 5 habits every driver must have to extend the life of a car