5 Ways to Drive Safely on Potholes and Damaged Roads
27 November, 2019
Not all roads available have a smooth surface. When traveling, it’s not uncanny to find mild to severe potholes, so drivers must be extra careful. It is even worse during the rainy season, where the potholes result in a puddle that’s not visible in depth.
If you drive on potholes and damaged roads frequently, this can have a poor impact on your car. In Wuling Family, we have put together 5 tips that can be followed to face potholes and damaged roads safely.
Keep a distance from the vehicle in front of you
Try to keep your distance from the vehicle in front of you. Don’t get too close so you can see the hole on the front road clearly, thereby it’s easier to anticipate. Moreover, maintaining distance from the front vehicle can also reduce the impact of rocks bouncing off the front vehicle. You can also brake more gently when you see a hole in the front, thus you don’t harm the vehicle behind.
Also read: Nighttime Driving Safety Tips
Keep your gaze ahead and maintain your attention
It’s important to maintain your gaze to the front. Look at the surrounding conditions at a glance so that potholes can be avoided. Don’t lose your focus when driving. Ignore everything that can disturb your concentration. The loss of focus while driving can make you unaware of any holes in the front of your vehicle. Place your hands to the 9-5 position on the steering wheel so you can control the car better.
Avoid maneuver
In order to avoid potholes, some drivers immediately maneuver by turning the vehicle. Maneuvering to avoid potholes is fine, but it’s better to ensure that the road conditions are empty enough so you don’t endanger other road users. Imagine if you maneuvered to avoid a hole without ignoring other drivers, something bad might happen. Don’t just maneuver, it’s better if you drive slowly while going on potholes and other damaged roads.
Also read: 5 Ways To Defog Windshield
Don’t speed up
There’s no need to drive your car at high speed. Drive your vehicle according to the recommended speed on the road. Driving a vehicle slowly also gives you an opportunity to avoid potholes. Passing on a hole while driving at high speed could also give an adverse effect on your suspension.
Pay attention to the puddles
During the rainy season, puddles are appearing. You need to watch for these puddles as they might be holes hidden. We can’t know for sure the depth of the hole if it’s covered by water. Whenever possible, puddles should be avoided. However, if it’s not possible, you can slow down the speed of your driving to avoid any sudden braking.
Sudden braking often occurs when the driver is not paying attention when passing on potholes and damaged roads. However, the use of ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) and EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution) features that control the braking system of your vehicle can at least give the driver a little relief when he/she has to brake suddenly. The ABS system lets the wheels locked when the driver brakes too strongly and avoid crashing any objects.
On the other hand, the EBD function is to manage the brake to be more evenly distributed on each tire. ABS and EBD features are now starting to be equipped with cars sold in Indonesia. Without question, Wuling has also equipped these two safety features on its car, namely the Wuling Confero cars, so that the driver could always be safe when driving on damaged roads.
