How To Drive Safely On Curvy Roads

It is extremely exciting and thrilling to watch sports cars moving along the curvy roads, especially, at high speed. However, that is not an amateur can do. Whether you drive around roundabouts or curvy mountain passes, controlling the wheels to overcome curves could be risky and full of potential harms. In order words, you surely don’t want to lose control over your steering and brakes, or you may be likely to face severe accidents. Therefore, to help you stay safe, and to continue our series of the articles on how to drive safely on Indian roads, IndianAuto will provide you with the most useful tips to cope with the curvy roads as below..

A driver must know every curvy road is dangerous

Roads with a lot of curves are hard to drive on.

The potential dangers of curvy roads are a common-sense among everyone who can drive. Therefore, a driver always has to know that. This is because when a car is moving around a road curve, especially one with extremely curvy road bend, the inertia of the vehicle’s body causes it hard to control the steering wheel and make a turn. At the same time, if the car’s speed is too fast and the driver cannot drift like a professional racer, he or she may face skidding and lose control over the car, which is one of the most dangerous driving situations. Therefore, by noting that why curvy roads are hazardous, you will be more aware of precautions.

Don’t accelerate while driving around curvy roads

Pay attention to the 'curvy road ahead' warning sign.

From newbie drivers to senior drivers, speeding or driving too fast when making a turn is very dangerous. This can also be applied with curvy roads. As mentioned above, fast car’s speed has a high chance of making drivers face skid and lose control over their car when making a turn. Therefore, you have to slow down prior to a curve so that you can safely pass it. And there will be less breaking news about accidents caused by skidding car on newspapers. Additionally, you should pay attention to warning signs of incoming curves so as to have enough time to reduce your car’s speed before entering the road bends. In some areas, there are safe speed limits for curvy roads, follow them and you will be fine. Furthermore, only when completely exiting a curve, you can accelerate because increasing your speed too soon will make skids possible.

Also read - All You Should Know About Potholes and Indian Roads

Do not zigzag or you may face the risk of skidding

Stay calm and slow down when you are approaching a curve.

On roads with a lot of curves, the times you have to turn depend on the number of the curves, but just you should know what is making enough turn and zigzagging. It may sound funny when you can make your car move smoothly with perfect turns and zigzaggings; however, by doing such thing too much can distract you from sudden extremely curvy bends. In other words, you may have a short difficult time determining the situation and how to deal with it; and if there is another car of the other side moving the same time, a slow reaction will make you pay the price. Therefore, besides slowing down when you almost enter into a curve, try to move to the right of your lane if the curve is on the left, or move to the left of your lane if the curve is on the right. By following this, you can reduce the risk of skidding by turning only one time per curve and needn’t zigzag.

Pay extra attention to curvy roads

Be careful or you may fall off the cliff!

If a driver loses concentration on the road, the person may veer outwards his or her lane. In order to stay on your lane, follow the aforementioned tips and always keep an eye on the road. What’s more, you should also be aware of approaching drivers when driving around a curve. Incoming drivers often stay very close to the centre of the road as they need to do it to make a perfect turn and this may lead to a severe collision. Additionally, when making a turn, some people tend to steer off their lane, which is very dangerous as cars from the opposite direction can hit them. The best solution to this is to slow down when approaching a curve, which gives you and your car more time to adjust before a turn.

Also read - Road Safety: The Worst Driving Habits That We All Have

What to do if you accidentally face a skid

Do not accelerate or press the brake immediately or the skid will be worse.

Skids occur as a vehicle slides, typically on sideways or obliquely, on slippery ground or as a result of stopping or turning too quickly. When your car skids, you cannot manoeuvre the accelerator, brakes, and steering as normal because things are out of control and common operational procedures wouldn’t be successful.

A type of skid, which can be called understeer, sometimes happens when a car turns sharply and starts sliding on the tires’ slick sidewalls. Certain methods can be applied to prevent understeering, which include the reduction of the vehicle’s speed when driving around curves.

In case you may experience a skid on curvy roads, follow these tips in order to regain control over your car:

• Instantly stop pressing and releasing the gas pedals and the brake won’t help prevent the skid but worsen the situation. However, loosely lay both hands on the steering wheel to easily manipulate, it may help.

• When your car has slowed down for a second or two, press the brake gently and steer the car to the direction you want.

• While regaining control from skidding on curvy roads, try not to perform any sudden manoeuvres. It’s hard to be calm in such a situation, but for your safety, try to be as calm and patient as possible.

• Steep inclines, declines, mountain passes, cliff areas or ridgeways are places which usually have a lot of curves and dangerous road bends. When you face a skid in these locations, well, you have to be extra alert and calm to determine the situation. Above all, you surely don’t want your car get out of the track and plunge off the embankment. Think wisely, and the physics subject you learn at school can help you decide the best solution to regain control over your car in such a short time.

• All in all, keep in mind that you must not drive fast when moving through an area surrounded by curvy roads. Instead, drive slow or moderately for the sake of your life.

​Above is a list of some simple tips for you to drive safely through road curves. Hope that with these tips, you can have a safe journey in your lovely car in the most challenging curvy roads.

​Read more tips and guides from IndianAuto