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Friday, October 3, 1997 — North Shore News — 33

The slippery facts of cause and effect

MY, summer ended
abruptly — welcome
to the next seven
months of El Nino-
inspired, Vancouver
rain.

Driving conditions
change quite dramatically
during the rainy months.
Visibility is reduced, the
roads are slick and pools of
water gather just about any-
where that gravity sees fit.

Heavy rain, fog, mist and
darkness have been know to
affect the motorist’s ability
to see necessary sights prop-
arly What to do, what to

ja?

Slowing down in adverse
weather is the first, best,
defensive driving practice.
Slowing gives one a little bit
more time to assess and
anticipate traffic and its haz-
ards.

This being Bonchead
City, however, that bit of
advice has a tendency of
falling on deaf cars.

It is important, therefore,
to look well ahead into traf-
fic (and the adept driver
does this in all weather con-
ditions).

Foresight — literal fore-
sight — enables a driver to
anticipate any potential haz-
ard or blockage in the
lane(s) ahead.

“Hazard,” for lack of a
better word, describes any-
thing (or things) that
inhibits the smooth flow of
traffic.

But Shaun, you ask, how
far is “far ahead”? As far
ahead as your vision allows,
responds Shaun.

That is to say, if you can
see 10 blocks down the
street, LOOK 10 blocks
down the street! Find out
what’s going on before
you’re in the thick of it.

Keeping an eye on your
immediate surroundings is
obviously important, too,
but merely following the
bumper in front of you
means that you are oblivious
to the traffic and the haz-
ards you are about to
encounter in the immediate
future.

There is a lot of informa-
tion out there. Absorb as
much as you can and you
will be a better-prepared,
more defensive driver.

Since roads are quite slip-
pery when they are wer,
bringing you car to a
screeching halt is no fonger
an option. A slip-sliding halt
is a possibility, but an unde-
sirable one. Sarry for sound-
ing redundant, but one can
avoid the slip-stide problems
by looking ahead.

H one beholds a reason,
or possible reason, to stop a
block or two away, one
slows down before becom-
ing part of said hazard.
Never be in a rush to
become part of the clutter.
Hang back and you just
might find that said clutter
clears before you even
arrive.

If by chance one is forced
to “slam on the brakes” dur-
ing an otherwise uneventful
journey, one may find that
one’s car just won't stop as
nicely as is might on a dry
road. :
Cause and effect and

signals

“slamming” the brakes is the
wrong thing to do. Pushing
the brake pedal only enough
to slow the car is a more
appropriate practice.

Pre re tires lock up (skid),
easing off the pedal and
applying the brakes again
with slightly less pressure
(and repeating as necessary)
is known as “threshold brak-
ing” and it is what an ABS
(Anti-thought Braking
System) does for you.

—s

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Please be aware that since
one cannot steer when the
front tires are skidding, a
keen understanding of
threshold braking is invalu-
able.

Thar said, if the thresh-
old technique seems like a
lot to remember in that
moment of panic, try using
your head and look ahead
next time (if there is a next
time...).

The astute and observant
driver rarely finds him or
herself in slam-on-brakes
predicament. Besides, there
are always options.

In a hazardous predica-
ment, one might do very lit-
tle braking, a little bit of
steering, and avoid the skid-
ding part ail together.

While the astute driver is
leoking ahead, he or she is
also planning a hypothetical

“escape route” should some-
thing go wrong out in front
of them — or beside them
and behind them.

Anyway, back to the cold
Vancouver rain. Driving
though a big pool of water
on the road is not only likely
to stall your engine, it may
ruin your car — especially
when another driver plows
into you after you've stalled.

More importantly, an
innocucus-looking lide
pool or s:ream of v ater
(check out that new Second
Narrows surfacing job!) is
likely to cause “hydroplan-
ing.”

This is where your car
tires actually skim across the
surface of water, much like a
water ski, and cause you to
lose some or all control of
your vehicle. Don’t panic.
Don’t slam on the brakes.

wg | Ney pte»

Don’r try any sudden move-
ment with the steering
wheel.

Ease off the gas pedal
gently and as the car decel-
erates your tires will break
through the surface water
and find the pavement again
— if one’s tires are turned
sharpty or locked up when
this finding-of- pavement
occur’, one will find oneself
travelling in an abruptly dif-

ferent direction!

Of course, by simply
looking ahead one may be
able to avoid puddles of
water on the road altogeth-
er.

Wet roads and puddles?
Bad. Looking ahead? Good.

Heads up, folks. There
are always options. Watch
for them.

Don’t be another rainy
weather statistic, be safe.

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