Driver

1
Drivers Education

• Chapter 5
• Natural Laws and Car Control

2
Gravity

• Gravity is the force that pulls all things to
  the earth
• Driving up hill your vehicle will lose speed.
  You must increase power to overcome gravity and
  maintain speed
• Driving down hill your vehicle will pick up
  speed. You must coast or shift to a lower gear
  to maintain speed

3
Energy of Motion

• Energy of Motion(Kinetic Energy) is energy
  acquired when an object moves.
• When load weight doubles, energy of motion will
  double. Then the vehicle will need to twice the
  stopping distance.
• Energy of motion will change in proportion to the
  square of its change in speed. If speed doubles,
  you will need 4 times the stopping distance. If
  speed triples, you will need 9 times the stopping
  distance

4
Traction

• Traction friction created by tired on the road
  surface.
• Friction is the force of two surfaces in
  contact, this keeps each tire from sliding off
  the roadway.

5
Tires

• Tread Grooved surface of a tire that grips the
  road.
• When the road is wet the tread allows water to
  flow through the grooves and away from the tire.
• A tires ability to grip the roadway will
  increase with the amount of tread touching the
  road.

6
Blowout

• Blowout is when all the air escapes from the
  tire at once.
• This may happen as a result of the tire being
  bald or from a puncture

7
Tire Inflation

• Each tire is design to work properly at a certain
  air pressure.
• Underinflation only the outside edges of the
  tire contact road, can cause uneven tire wear.
• Overinflation only the center will contact the
  road. Will wear more quickly and decrease traction

8
Reduced Traction

• Vehicle Condition
• Good shock absorbers are important for
  maintaining traction. Worn shock absorbers will
  cause your vehicle to bounce of the road.
• Worn tires will limit your control.

• Road Surface
• Wet, Icy, or rough roads can greatly reduce
  traction.
• When road surface is poor reduce speed for more
  control

9
Checking Traction

• Check rear zones to make sure no traffic is near.
• Brake to see how the vehicles responds.
• If your vehicle does not slow or if your antilock
  brakes start to work then reduce your speed.

10
Vehicle Control in Curves

• Speed to reduce your chance of skidding, lower
  your speed before entering a curve
• Sharpness of Curves the sharper the curve the
  more traction your vehicle will need to grip the
  road. Use slower speeds for sharp turns
• Banked Curves is a curve that is higher on the
  outside than on its inside. This will help the
  vehicle grip the roadway better.

11
Vehicle Control in Curves

• Load the greater the load of a vehicle, the
  slower the vehicle will have to go around a
  curve.
• Vehicles with a high center of gravity will flip
  easier in curves

12
Stopping Distance

• Total Stopping Distance is the distance your
  vehicle travels while you make a stop.
• This is measured from when you first see a hazard
  to the point where your vehicle stops.
• Reaction Time the length of time it take you to
  identify a hazard and begin to slow.
• Reaction Distance this is the distance your
  vehicle travels during this time.

13
Stopping Distance

• Braking Distance the distance your vehicle
  travels from the time you apply the brakes until
  you stop.

14
3 Second Rule

• 1. Pick a fixed checkpoint like a shadow over
  the road or a sign where you think that you could
  stop. When the car in front of you passed the
  checkpoint.
• 2. Count off 3 seconds one-one-thousand, two
  one-thousand, three-one-thousand,
  four-one-thousand.
• If you pass the checkpoint before you finish
  counting you are to close to the vehicle in front
  of you.

15
Factors That Affect Braking Distance

• Speed the higher your speed to longer your
  braking distance.
• Vehicle Condition worn tire and shock absorbers
  takes longer to stop
• Road Surface rain, snow, ice, dirt, wet leaves,
  and gravel will increase stopping distance.

• Driver Ability if you are distracted or
  impaired it will take longer to stop.
• Hills when driving downhill stopping distance
  will increase.
• Loads heavy loads will increase braking
  distance.

16
Force of Impact

• Force of Impact force with which a moving
  object hits another object.
• Speed most important factor in determining how
  hard a vehicle will hot another object.
• Weight the heavier the vehicle, the more damage
  it will cause.
• Distance Between Impact and Stopping

17
Safety Belts

• Three collisions occur when a vehicle hits a
  solid object.
• 1. Vehicle hits object and stop.
• 2. Occupant either hits inside of the vehicle or
  restraint devices.
• 3. Occupants may suffer internal collision as
  their organs impact inside of the body.

18
Restraint Devices

• Passive Restraint Devices like an air bag,
  works automatically.
• Active Restraint Device one you have to engage,
  like a safety device.

19
Other Safety Devices

• Airbags a balloon like device that inflated
  automatically to protect you.
• Front and rear crush areas vehicles are now
  designed to crush on impact.
• Reinforced Windshield to avoid flying glass in
  a collision, vehicles has laminated windshields.

20
Other Safety Devices

• Padded Dash this can reduces injury in all
  crashes.
• Child Seats special seats for infants or small
  children. Must be used in the rear seat and used
  properly.
• Head Restraints padded head rests on the top of
  seats to protect against whiplash.