82% of road in U.S are rural Rural roads are made up of different types

of materials Higher rates of speed ( 55mph) affects

your: Line of sight Stopping distance Vehicle control

Roadways Speed Traffic Controls Roadside Hazards Special Situations

Nearly twice as many fatalities occur on Rural Roadways than on urban roadways.

Why? ( higher rate of speed)

Posted speed limits indicate maximum speed for ideal conditions

Basic speed law states that you should not drive faster than road or traffic conditions permit

Advisory Speed Limits Minimum Speed Limit

How should you use the IPDE process during rural driving?

Give yourself more TIME!

Activity- You will need a piece of paper and pen

Identify hazards farther away Predict conflicts farther away Decide what to do while you still have time Execute your decision so you have time to act

42% of deaths in roadside collisions occur on curves.

1/3 of all roadside collisions involve a vehicle that rolls over

1/3 involve occupant ejection

SWITCHBACKS

Take quick glances across the curve to identify oncoming traffic

Maintain proper lane position by glancing ahead at intended path of travel

Identify the advisory speed sign SLOW DOWN BEFORE THE CURVE!

Passing and Being Passed on Rural

Roads

INTENTIONALLY SPEEDING UP WHILE BEING PASSED IS

ILLEGAL!

A solid yellow line is present When sight is limited When cross traffic is a hazard When approaching a HILL (700-1000 ft),

CURVE, INTERSECTION( 100 feet), BRIDGE, or railroad crossing( 100 feet)

Cannot complete a pass before the start of a no passing zone

IS IT WORTH IT TO PASS? IS IT LEGAL TO PASS? IS IT SAFE TO PASS?

If you answer yes to all of these questions then give it a go!

Do you have an ESCAPE PATH?

Answer yes to all previous questions safe? legal? worth it?

Prepare to pass by accelerating

When is it safe to move in to the right lane again?

Being passed? Be AWARE of passing cars Stay to the right and slow down Accelerate if you see that the driver drops

back and decides not to pass so you give them room to move back in to the lane

Multilane DRIVERS SHOULD USE RIGHT LANE Passing should be in left lane

High altitudes Gravity pulls vehicles down hill ( downshift)

or use lower gear Higher altitudes means less Oxygen

Runaway Vehicle Ramps

Night dangers

Pull out Areas

More than 4% of all collisions in the U.S. involve animals

500,000 collisions with deer occur each year

When do they occur? What can be done to lower these numbers?