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PaSShg (COW.)
Watch for traffic signs, pavement
markings,
-and lines. If you can see a
sign
up ahead that might indicate a
turn
or an intersection, delay your
pass. A broken center line usually
indicates -it’s all right
to pass,
(providing the road ahead
is clear).
Never cross a solid line on.your side
of the lane or a double solid line, even
if the road seems empty of
approaching traffic.
* If you suspect that the- driver of the
vehicle
you want to. pass isn’t .aware
of-your presence, tap the horn a
couple of times before. passing.
Do not.get too close- to the vehicle
you want
to pass while you’re
awaiting an opportunity. For one
thing, following tQo closely reduces
your area
of vision, especi-ally if you’re
following
a larger vehicle. Also, you
won’t have adequate space if the
vehicle
,ahead suddenly slows dr
stops. Keep back a- reasonable
distance.
I 82
When it 1cr.oks like a chance to:pass is
.doming up, start to-accelerate but stay
in the- right lane and don’t -get- too
close. Time your move so, you will be
increasing speed as’the time comes to
move into the other
lane.3 the. way is
clear to pass, you will have a “running
start’” that
more than makes up fix
the distance you would lose by
dropping back. And
if something
happens to Cause you to cancel your
pass, you need only slow down and
drop back again and wait for another
opportunity.
If other vehicles .are lined up to pass a
slow vehicle, wait your turn. But: take
care that someone- isn’t trying to pass
you as you pull out to pass the slow
vehicle. Remember to glance, over
your shoulder andxheck the blind
spot.
Check your mirr-ors, glance over your
shoulder, aad start your left lane
change-,signal before
,moving aut of
the right lane to pass. When you are
far enough ahead of the. passed
vehicle to see-its front in your inside
mirror, activate.your right lane ,change
signal
and move back into the right
lane; (Remember that-your right
0-utside mirror is-convex. The vehicle
you just passed ‘may seem to be
farther away+from you than it redly
is.)
Try n0t.t.o pass more than one vehicle
at a time on two-lane roads.
Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
.vehicle too rapidly. Even though the
brake lights. are not flashing, it may be
slowing dawn or starting to turn.
If you’re- being passed, make it easy
for the following. driver to get ahead
of
you. Perhaps you can ease. a little to
the right;
Don’t overtake a slowly .m,oving

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Skidding (CONT.)
(including engine braking by shifting to
a lower gear). Any sudden change could
cause the tires
to slide. You may not
realize
the surface is slippery until your
vehicle
is skidding. Learn to recognize
warning clues-such as enough water,
ice or packed snow
on the road to make
a ‘‘mirrored surface”-and slow down
when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock braking
system
(ABS) helps avoid only the
bralung skid.
Steer the way you want
the vehicle to
go.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than.
day driving. One reason is that some
drivers are likely
to be impaired-by
alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips
on night driving.
Drive defensively. Remember, this is
the most dangerous time.
Don’t drink and drive. (See the Index
under Drunken Dn’ving for mure on
this problem.)
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to
reduce
the glare from headlights
behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may
need
to slow down and keep more
space between you and other vehicles.
It’s hard to teil how fast the vehicle
ahead
is going just by looking at its
taillights.
speed roads. Your headlights can light
up only so much road ahead.
Slow down, especially on higher
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a
safe place and rest.

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Myht Vision
No one can see as well at night, as in the
daytime. But as
we get older -these
differences increase. A. 50-year-ald driver may require .at least twice as
much light to see the same thing at
night as a 20-year-old.
What you 80 in the daytime can also
&ct your night vision. For example, if
you spen-d-the day in bright sunshine
you
are wise to wear sunglasses. Your
eyes will have less trouble adjusting to
night.
But if you’re driving, don’t
wear
sunglasses at night. They may cut down
on glare from headlights, but they also
make
a lot of things invisible that
should
r.enmin visible-such as parked
cars, obstacles, pedestrians, or even
trains blocking railway
crossings.. You
may want to put on your sunglasses
after you have pulled into a brightly
lighted service or refreshment area.
Eyes shielded from that glare may
adjust more quickly to darkness back
on the road, But be sure to remove your
sunglasses before
you .leave the service
area.
You can be temporarily blinded by
approaching lights. It
can take a second
or
two, or even several seconds, for
your eyes to readjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare (as from
a driver who doesn’t lower the high
beams,
or a vehicle with misaimed
headlights),
slow down a little. Avoid
-staring directly into the approaching
lights. If there is a line of opposing
traffic, make occasional glances
over the
line of headlights to make certain that
one
of the vehicles isn’t starting to
move into your lane. Once you .are past
the bright lights, give your eyes time
to
readjust before resuming speed.
High Beams
If the vehicle approaching-you has its
high beams on, signal by fliclcing yours
to high and then back to low beam. This
is the usual signal to lower the
headlight beams. zf.the other
driver still
doesn’t lower the
beams, resist the
ternaptation to. put
your high beams on.
This only makes two ha-blinded
drivers.
On a freeway, use your high beams only
in remote axeas where you won’t impair
approaching drivers.
In some p€aces,
like cities, using high beams is illegal.
When you follow another vehicle on a
freeway
or highway, use low beams.
True, most vehicles
now have day-night
mirrors that enable the driver to reduce
glare. But outside
mirrors are not of this
type and high beams
from behind can
bother the driver ahead.

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Remember that your hedlights light up
€arless of a roadway when you are .in a
turn or cuwe.
Keep your eyes: moving; that way, it's
easier to pick aut d.imly lighted objects.
Just as sour headlights should be
checked regulaily-far proper aim, so;
should your .eyes be mmined regularly.
Some drivers suffer from night
blindness-the inabiIity to
see in dim
light-and
wen? even aware .of it,
b '
c..
Driving in the.Rain
-Rainiand wet roads can mestll dtiving
,.trouble. On a wet road you can'-t stop.,
accelerate
or turn as well because your
tire-to-roacl traction.
isn't as good as on
dry roads. And, if your tires don't have
traction.
It% always wise t;p g~ slower and be
cautious'if rai.n starts to fall While ybir
are driving. The surface may get wet
suddenly when. your:reflexes are. tuned
far driving CI~ dry pavement.
Thei;he.avier. the rain,
the hatdef it is to-
see. Eveh if your windshield wiper
blades are in good shape, a heavy rain
can male it harder to see road signs and
traffic signals, pavement markings, the
edge of the road, and even pegple
much tread left, youl~ get even less

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Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much
water
can build up under your tires that
they can actually ride-on the-water. This
can happen
if the road is wet enough
and you’re going-fast enough. When
youi vehi-cle. is hydroplaning, it
has little
or no-contact with the road.
You
might. not be aware of hydroplaning.
You could drive along
for some time
without realizing your tires aren’t in
constant contact with the road.
You
could find out the hard way: when you
have to slow, turn, move out to pass-
or
if .you get hit by-a gust of wind. You
could suddenly find yours& out of
control.
I88
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often.
But it can if your tires haven’t much
tread
or if the pressure in one or more is
low. It can happen if a lot of water- is
standing on the road.
If you can see
reflections
from trees, telephone poles,
or other vehicles, and raindrops
“dimple” the water’s surface, there
could be hydroplaning.
Hydrop1anhg:usually happens at higher
speeds. There just isn’t a hard and fast
rule about hydroplaning. The best
advice is
to slow down when it is
raining, and be careful.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
9 Turn on your headlights-not just
your
parking lights-to help make you
more visible to -others.
Look for hard-to-see vehicles co-ming
from behind.
You may want to use
your headlights even in daytime if it’s
-raining hard.
Besides slo.wing down, allow some
extra follo~ng distance.
And‘be
especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself-more clear room ahead, and be prepared
to
have your view restricted by r-oad .
spray. If the road. spray is.50 heavy
you..are actually blinded, drop back.
.Don’t pass until conditions improve.
Going more slowly
is better than
having-an accident.
Use your defogger if it helps.
Have good tires with proper tread
depth. (See
the Index under Tires.)

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Driving in Fag, lMfst and Haze
Fog can occur with high humidity or
heavy frost. It can be so mild that you
can see through it for several hundred
feet (meters). Or it might be so thick
that you
can s’ee only a few feet
(meters) ahead. It’may come suddenly
to an athenvise dear road. And it can
be a mjolc hazard.
When you drive into .a fog patch, your
visibility will be. reduced quickly. The
biggest dangers ‘are strilung. the vehicle
ahead or being struck by the one behind.
Tryto “read” the fog density down the
mad. If the vehicle ahead starts to
become less clear or, at night, if the
tai11,ights are hader to see, the fog is
probably thickning. Slow down to give
tr&c behind you a chance to -slaw.down.
Everybody then has a .betta -chance to
avoid hitting the vehide ahead.
A patch of dense fog may extend only
€or a few feet (meters) or for miles
(kilometers); you can’t really tell while
you’re
in it. You. can only treat the
situation with extrbme care.
One cornmon fog condition-
sometimes called mist or ground fag-
can happen in weather that .seems
perfect, especially
at night or in the
early
morning in valley and low, marshy
areas. You can be suddenly enveloped
in thick, wet haze that may even coat
your windshield.
You can often spot
these fog patches or mist layers with
YOW~ headlights. But sometimes they
can be waiting for you as you come over
a hill or dip into a shallow valley. Start
yaur
windshield wipers and washer to
help clear accumulated road
dirt. Slow
down carefully.
Tips on Driving in Fog
If you get caught in fog, turn your
headlights on low bearit, even in
daytime. You’ll see-and be seen-
better. Use your fdg lights.
Don’t
use your high beams. The light
wil1,bounce off the water droplets that
make up fog and reflect back at you.
Use your defogger. In high humidity,
even
a light buildup of moisture on the
inside of the glass will -cut down on your
already limited visibility. Runyour
windshield wipers .and washer
occas.itmdl.y. Moisture
c5u1 bui1d:up on
the outside. glass, and what .seems to be
fog may’actnrilly b-e-moisture on the
outside
of yoarwindshield.
Treat dense
fog as an emergency. Try to
find. a-place to
pull off the road, Of
course
you want to respect another’s
property, but you might need-to put

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Tips on Driving in Fog (CONT.)
something between you and moving
vehicles-space, trees, telephone poles,
a private driveway, anything that
removes you
from other trafic.
If visibility is near zero and you must
stop but are unsure whether you are
away
from the road, turn your lights on,
start your hazard warning flashers, and
sound your horn at intervals or when
you hear approaching traffic.
Pass other vehicles in fog only if you
can see far enough ahead to pass safely.
Even then, be prepared to delay your
pass if you suspect the fog is worse up
ahead. If other vehicles try to pass you,
make it easy for them.
City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city.
streets
is the amount o€ traffic on them.
You’ll want to watch
out for what the
other drivers are doing
and pay
attention
to traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety in
city driving:
* Know the best way to get to where
you-are going.
Try not to drive around
trying to pick out a familiar street or
landmark. Get a city map
and plan
your trip into an unknown part of the
city
just .as you would for a cross-
country trip.
9 Try to use the freeways that rim and
crisscross
most large cities. You’ll
save time
and energy. (See the next
section,
Freeway Driving.)
Treat a green light as a warning
.signal, A traffic light is there because
the corner
is busy .enough to need it.
When a light turns green, and just
before you start to move, check both
ways for vehicles. that have not
cleared
the intersection or may be
running the red light.
Obey all posted speed limits. But
remenher that they are
for ideal road,
weather
and visibility conditions. You
may need to drive bglow the .posted
limit
.in b.ad weather or when visibility
is especially poor,
clear
of intersections when you see or
hear emergency vehicles.
9 Pull to the right (with care) and stop
c

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Driving on the Freeway (CONTJ
~fyou are moving from an outside to a
center lane. on a freeway having more
than two lanes, make sure another
vehic1e;isn't about to move
into the
same spot. Look at the 'vehicles two
lanes over and watch for telltale signs:
turn
signals flashing? an increase in
speed, or
moving toward the edge-of the
lane. Be prepared to delay
your move.
Once you are moving on the freeway,
make certain you allow a reasonable
following distance. Expect
to move
slightly slower at night.
Leaving the Freeway
When you want to leave the freeway,
move to the proper lane well in
advance. Dashing across lanes at the
last minute is dangerous.
If you miss
your exit do not,.under any circum-
stances,
stop and back up. Drive on to
the next
exit.
At each exit point is a deceleration lane.
Ideally it
should be long enough for you
to enter it at freeway speed
(after
signaling, of course) and then do your
braking before
moving onto the ,exit
ramp. Unfortunately, not all deceleration lanes are
long enough-
.some are too short for all the braking.
Decide when
to start braking. If you
must brake on the.through lane, and if
there is traffic close behind you, yau can
allow a little extra tirrie and flash your
brake lights (in addition to your turn
signal)
as extra warning that you are
about to slow down and exit.
The exit ramp
can be curved, sometimes
quite sharply. The exit speed
is usually
posted. Reduce
your speed according to
your speedometer, not-to your sense of
motion. After driving.for any distance at
higher speeds,
you may tend to- think.
you -we going slower than you actually
are. For example,
40 mph (65 I&)
might seem like only 20 mph (32 Wh) .
Obviously, this could lead to serious
trouble on a
ramp designed for 20 rnph
(32 W)!
P
be