How to drive faster on twisty roads and stay safe

pog it

Was wondering about this lately. Some drivers seem to be very good at negotiating bends in roads without driving slowly. Is there some knack to this that could help me? I regard myself as a safe driver but if i can drive faster on these type roads and be safe at same time that's be cool.

Mint Sauce

think this more down to people who say they know the road, you dont always know whats round the corner, i would rather slow down a bit and expect the unexpected

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

af_thefragile

I was driving up in the twisty roads of carlingford mountains yesterday. It was great fun in my little Ford Puma. But the main rule while driving is that if you feel you're going too fast, then you ARE going too fast and you need to slow down. You need to be perfectly sure there's nothing in front of you and no one is coming from the other side. You need to be able to look for signs of other cars coming (in night this is sorta easier as you'll see the light from their headlights before you see the car). And you need to know where to slow down and where you can open up the throttle a little. Though the speed limit on those roads was 80kmph, I never went above 60kmph and stayed in 3rd gear all the way through as it would sorta be stupid driving on those roads at speed and not in perfect control of your car. A lot of tight corners and bends and a lot of fun!

Anyway, about the people you are talking about who drive fast around bends, well, some of them have good observation skills and know the route pretty well to be aware of the danger spots and know where they can go fast and where they need to slow down. They also have very good control of the car to be able to slow down fast and negotiate dangers. But these are only very few people.

Most who drive fast are just stupid who're taking big risks. A lot of times they get away with it but sometimes they end up paying for it. As its said, you can get it right a million times but you can only get it wrong once!

So remember, never outdrive yourself. If you feel you're going too fast, you need to slow down. Always stay in control of the car. There are some good countryside roads out there, like a few in Wicklow, where you can drive at 40-60kmph (staying within the speed limits) and that feels fast and fun as the roads are twisty and all. You have good visibility upto a mile or so on these roads so you can see well in advance if anyone is coming and slow down for them. And where there are tight corners, you need to take them slowly. Remember, you don't need to go fast to have fun. You can very easy go over 140-150kmph on the motorways but you'll have much more fun going at 60kmph on twisty Regional roads.

And unless you're in a rally stage where you know the roads well and there's nothing coming in front of you, you will not have fun going fast on country roads as you'll be putting the your and other people's life at risk and even if nothing bad happens, you'll just end up scaring yourself instead of having a fun drive.

pog it

I'm definitely a safe driver, not trying to learn how to drive faster Donegalfella, just in case you misunderstood me there.

I want to develop my driving skills. I think you have it af_thefragile, the first band of drivers who are safe and can do decent speeds on these bends, have good observation skills and control of car. And most likely know the roads extremely well.

I'm only driving 3 years. Maybe it will take more time to get the best control of the car possible. But absolutely I wouldn't dream of driving too fast and endangering other people and myself.

Midnight_EG

The best way to get to know your car is to bring it to an empty carpark or private 'big space' and basically just let rip. Feel how much control you have while turning in at speeds such as 20/40/60/80 and test how much the back end may step out, the front end may understeer and you'll have to compensate, or else you can get it spot on and attain a perfect line. If you can know how your car reacts when it hits a dip/oil slick/ice/gravel/muck, well then you can come out of it knowing you had the skill to do so. Although....most people will let go of the steering wheel and hope for the best

Onto the whole 'knowing the country roads'. Most people will have driven these roads daily and as such know the layout of the road almost perfect. There's one such road just behind my estate, it's tight, very poor lighting but perfect tarmac. It has plenty of dips and hills with tight turns thrown in. I can take this road at a relatively fast speed because I'm used to it by now, whereas most other people will just barrel on into the first corner hoping their car will magically pull off some super driving. I've seen plenty of cars in the bushes of this road however


I'm not encouraging fast driving btw, good luck

greenie

Personally I'd rather be safe than cool.
Even if there are no cars in sight, twisty, bendy roads are still dangerous at high speed. I don't have the exact statistics but I know there are a lot of car crashes on these types of roads resulting in severe injuries including brain damage aswell as death. I don't think it's worth it.

pog it

greenie wrote: »

Personally I'd rather be safe than cool.
Even if there are no cars in sight, twisty, bendy roads are still dangerous at high speed. I don't have the exact statistics but I know there are a lot of car crashes on these types of roads resulting in severe injuries including brain damage aswell as death. I don't think it's worth it.

Please Re-Read my message above.

kippy

1. No matter how well you know the roads, you never know what is around the corner (day or night), be it a broken down car, a cyclist, pedestrian animal or indeed another guy driving faster on twisty roads while staying safe.......

2. Most twisty roads I am familiar with are shared with farmers, animals and pedestrians. Many have relatively high hedges or stone walls on them so seeing what is around the corner is tough enough without driving faster.

3. I dont condone this type of topic at all.

daveharnett

People do tend to go faster on roads that they drive frequently. Repeated exposure conditions people to think that the higher speeds are ok - until the day it isn't ok. This is part of the reason why one in three accidents happen within a mile of home.

OP, what you are looking for is what roadcraft calls the limit point technique. Here's one of the more readable descriptions.

'Local' drivers tend to treat the car like a go-kart or rally car - carrying lots of speed through the corners, unbalancing the car, and holding on until the road straightens up.

By contrast, take a look at the police drivers on youtube - the style is closer to f1 - they slow right down for bends, so the car stays balanced and they have plenty of grip in reserve. This gives them lots of scope to deal with hazards, and allows them to get onto the accelerator earlier and firmer - they don't need to wait for the road to straighten up, they can start to put power down as soon as they pass the apex.

In one sentance: slow in, fast out.

pog it

The safety issue should go without saying.

I observe certain drivers who go faster than me on these kinds of roads and they too are still driving safely!

Thanks to some posters above who answered my question I can conclude that it is down to observation, experience & knowledge and control of car.

I absolutely do not need to be told to look out for other pedestrians, cyclists, sheep, dogs, etc. etc. I am very aware of this.

Tell the safety message to those who need it. Don't assume anything about me- I clearly stated what I meant by driving faster- i.e. negotiating bends better.

pog it

daveharnett wrote: »

People do tend to go faster on roads that they drive frequently. Repeated exposure conditions people to think that the higher speeds are ok - until the day it isn't ok. This is part of the reason why one in three accidents happen within a mile of home.

OP, what you are looking for is what roadcraft calls the limit point technique. Here's one of the more readable descriptions.

'Local' drivers tend to treat the car like a go-kart or rally car - carrying lots of speed through the corners, unbalancing the car, and holding on until the road straightens up.

By contrast, take a look at the police drivers on youtube - the style is closer to f1 - they slow right down for bends, so the car stays balanced and they have plenty of grip in reserve. This gives them lots of scope to deal with hazards, and allows them to get onto the accelerator earlier and firmer - they don't need to wait for the road to straighten up, they can start to put power down as soon as they pass the apex.

In one sentance: slow in, fast out.

Excellent. Thank you!

greenie

pog it wrote: »

Please Re-Read my message above.

I just think you seem to be doing it correctly and safely right now by slowing down at these corners/bends. You said you want to learn how to do it faster yet still be safe but I honestly don't think it works that way.
Some of these windy roads have a speed limit of 80km which I think is ridiculous and accidents occur because some people don't slow down...they think they're driving safely simply because they're not over the limit. It's all about common sense.

daveharnett

Oh, one more: look up. The treeline, telephone poles etc can tell you a lot about the severity of blind bends as you approach.

pog it

greenie wrote: »

I just think you seem to be doing it correctly and safely right now by slowing down at these corners/bends. You said you want to learn how to do it faster yet still be safe but I honestly don't think it works that way.
Some of these windy roads have a speed limit of 80km which I think is ridiculous and accidents occur because some people don't slow down...they think they're driving safely simply because they're not over the limit. It's all about common sense.

Sadly common sense isn't very common. And +1 on speed limits of 80km not being appropriate at all for a lot of minor roads. Crazy. That's the kind of thing the RSA should work on now.

af_thefragile

daveharnett wrote: »

People do tend to go faster on roads that they drive frequently. Repeated exposure conditions people to think that the higher speeds are ok - until the day it isn't ok. This is part of the reason why one in three accidents happen within a mile of home.

OP, what you are looking for is what roadcraft calls the limit point technique. Here's one of the more readable descriptions.

'Local' drivers tend to treat the car like a go-kart or rally car - carrying lots of speed through the corners, unbalancing the car, and holding on until the road straightens up.

By contrast, take a look at the police drivers on youtube - the style is closer to f1 - they slow right down for bends, so the car stays balanced and they have plenty of grip in reserve. This gives them lots of scope to deal with hazards, and allows them to get onto the accelerator earlier and firmer - they don't need to wait for the road to straighten up, they can start to put power down as soon as they pass the apex.

In one sentance: slow in, fast out.

^That limit point thing is what most bikers regularly use to asses the severity of bends and look for any potential hazards up ahead. The whole thing about chasing the bend and all... Car drivers don't care about it much because you tend to have a false sense of security in your metal shell and so you're less cautious about everything around you.

One thing to make sure is to always stay in the right position in your lane while driving through country roads. Which is your seat sort of in the center of your lane. While going straight, while taking bends, all the time. You've got to be extra careful while taking bends, especially left hand bends (as the visibility here is very limited) to not drift out right towards the center line while taking the bend. If you're going too fast, you'll slowly drift out right towards the center line and could end up colliding into an oncoming vehicle. Again, it's not a rally stage but a country road so you can't assume no one will come from the other side.

You also need to be very aware of your surroundings and pay attention to the road signs. I've herd many stories of people ending up crashing into deers and other wildlife crossing the roads. Just yesterday I found a dead fox in the middle of the road in carlingford. So wanna be careful of these things and look out for places where there could be hidden hazards.

Basically just stick to your lane and drive carefully (not exceeding 60kmph) when on country roads. Its still a lot of fun at 40-60, you don't need to go any faster.
And only open the throttle when you can see a good mile or so of empty stretch of road in front of you. Even then don't go too fast cause you never know what the road condition is like. You could very likely hit a pothole and lose control of your car and crash into a hedge or wall or something.


A note about the 80kmph speed limit. I have been lately driving on a lot of country roads (cuz I prefer them to bigger roads, more fun) and for most of the roads you'll be mad doing 80kmph. I feel 3rd gear and 65kmph is the fastest you should be traveling on these roads. You may feel tempted to shift into 4th as you'ld normally drive around at 60kmph in 4th gear, but stick to 3rd gear in country roads. You have more control over the car in that gear. Yes, you'ld be using more fuel, but its a price you'ld be paying for taking the twisty country roads.
Its only in a very few places where you have good visibility in front of you to about a mile (there are a good few such places on the R roads in Wicklow) that you can speed upto 70-75ish and stay safe. But most other places, its fairly risky going beyond 65kmph.



And a last thing about going round bends is gentle steering. This is the key to keeping your car in control and on the road. You need to ease your car into the bend gently so that it sticks to the road. Harsh and fast/vigorous/jerky steering will throw your car off balance and you'll very soon find yourself going sideways. Not a good thing to do on public roads. So slow down before the bend. Don't brake while taking the bend. Just slow down enough before the bend. Turn in gently till you take the bend, then hold your steering and accelerate gently while you're on the bend looking ahead all the time for any signs of hazard. Don't do any rally style throwing your car into the turn stuff cuz that'll only end up with going backwards into a hedge or worse.

DrivingTestTips: Brian

OP If you want to be safe and travel at speed (Limit!!!!).
DO THIS:
If you can see its clear drive on if you can’t see, or if it’s not clear slow down.
Limit Points and Road Positions will help but are based on given you better line of sight, which means everything you do is still based on if it’s clear.
A little note: a good friend of mine was killed 20 year ago from someone speeding on a country road, “he was walking” and got hit after a bent.

bryaner

af_thefragile wrote: »

I was driving up in the twisty roads of carlingford mountains yesterday. It was great fun in my little Ford Puma. But the main rule while driving is that if you feel you're going too fast, then you ARE going too fast and you need to slow down. You need to be perfectly sure there's nothing in front of you and no one is coming from the other side. You need to be able to look for signs of other cars coming (in night this is sorta easier as you'll see the light from their headlights before you see the car). And you need to know where to slow down and where you can open up the throttle a little. Though the speed limit on those roads was 80kmph, I never went above 60kmph and stayed in 3rd gear all the way through as it would sorta be stupid driving on those roads at speed and not in perfect control of your car. A lot of tight corners and bends and a lot of fun!

Anyway, about the people you are talking about who drive fast around bends, well, some of them have good observation skills and know the route pretty well to be aware of the danger spots and know where they can go fast and where they need to slow down. They also have very good control of the car to be able to slow down fast and negotiate dangers. But these are only very few people.

Most who drive fast are just stupid who're taking big risks. A lot of times they get away with it but sometimes they end up paying for it. As its said, you can get it right a million times but you can only get it wrong once!

So remember, never outdrive yourself. If you feel you're going too fast, you need to slow down. Always stay in control of the car. There are some good countryside roads out there, like a few in Wicklow, where you can drive at 40-60kmph (staying within the speed limits) and that feels fast and fun as the roads are twisty and all. You have good visibility upto a mile or so on these roads so you can see well in advance if anyone is coming and slow down for them. And where there are tight corners, you need to take them slowly. Remember, you don't need to go fast to have fun. You can very easy go over 140-150kmph on the motorways but you'll have much more fun going at 60kmph on twisty Regional roads.

And unless you're in a rally stage where you know the roads well and there's nothing coming in front of you, you will not have fun going fast on country roads as you'll be putting the your and other people's life at risk and even if nothing bad happens, you'll just end up scaring yourself instead of having a fun drive.

Pumas rock

Jamie-b

Hi Op, i think you really need to be careful on these roads. I'm learning to drive in wicklow and started off really slow. The fastest I have ever gone is 65/70 k (80k limit) on these back roads and that is only on small sections that I know are straight, have no hidden junctions/driveways and potholes. I went on a back road I had never been on the other day and very nearly swerved into a ditch. Bear in mind some of these ditches are massive troughs a couple of feet deep. If you go in there you will not get yourself out. If you really think it's fun you need to find a decent windy road and go up and down until you are used to it. But don't go fast! It is quite common that you will take a corner and need to brake behind a tractor.
I agree with everyone else here re: 80k speed limit. I have hit the massive country road potholes at 50k an hour and nearly ended up on the wrong side of the road, and on roads like this with no centre line there is very little leeway

pog it

Exactly and the county councils have no liability for the potholes so you will be left to repair your own car if you do any damage.

greenie

pog it wrote: »

Exactly and the county councils have no liability for the potholes so you will be left to repair your own car if you do any damage.

Oooh I hate them....I actually cringe everytime I go over one! There's a road I use a few times a week that has about 4 & the road is quite narrow so when there's oncoming traffic there's no way to avoid them. My poor left wheels!