Highway & Rural Driving
CHAPTER 11
11-1 THE RURAL DRIVING ENVIRONMENT

Highway
A
main public roadway designed to carry traffic for
long, uninterrupted periods at medium to high
speeds
 Can have intersections with cross traffic, side
roads, driveways, etc.
11-1 THE RURAL DRIVING ENVIRONMENT



Typical highways is a two-way, twolane road separated by double
yellow lines
Major rural highways, including
interstates, have four or more
lanes.
Divided Highway

Opposing directions of travel are
separated by a fixed barrier or area
of space called a median strip

Areas can be paved, dirt, or landscaped
11-1 THE RURAL DRIVING ENVIRONMENT

Rural Roads
Old, narrow, and originally designed for slower speeds
 Paved with various materials

 Concrete,
asphalt, macadam, cobblestone or brick
Traction varies with weather conditions
 May be grooved or rutted
 Potholes and other damaged sections left unrepaired
for long periods of time

 Patched

quickly with asphalt
Not cleaned regularly
 Debris
can be left on the road for
11-1 THE RURAL DRIVING ENVIRONMENT

Rural Intersections
 T-Intersections
 Side
roads join a main road with through traffic at a right
angle
 Common and dangerous

Difficult to see vehicles enter from the side roads
 Y-Intersections
 Often
the site of junctions of minor and major roads
 Can be confusing for beginning drivers

Either fail to stop or stop when they are not supposed to
11-1 THE RURAL DRIVING ENVIRONMENT

Unmarked Driveways

Driveways to farms or fields
 Can
be hidden by bushes, crops, or trees
 Look for mailboxes, gates, openings in fences,
 Reduce speed and be prepared for vehicles to pull out in front
of you

Entry/Exit Problems

When entering:
 Wait

for larger gaps in traffic before you pull out
When exiting:
 Make
sure you slow down earlier than usual
11-1 THE RURAL DRIVING ENVIRONMENT

Crossover
 Special
area where vehicles can turn around and go
in the opposite direction
 Unpaved crossovers are usually restricted to lawenforcement and emergency vehicles
11-2 DEFENSIVE DRIVING ON HIGHWAYS

Reduced visibility

Vision is more limited than on city streets
 Examples?
Because of this, signs are posted further in advance
 Make sure to look off-road as well as in front of you


Increase your following distance
At highway speeds greater than 50 mph, you need 6
seconds to stop or avoid an accident
 Utilize “covering the brake”

11-2 DEFENSIVE DRIVING ON HIGHWAYS

Highway Passing
Multilane roads – stay in the right lane unless you are
passing another vehicle or preparing to turn
 Two-lane Highway – do not cross the center line unless
you can see far enough ahead to know whether you can
pass safely
 Don’t pass on hills or curves – pass on straight sections
of the road
 Multi-Lane - Always pass on the left unless the vehicle
you are wanting to pass is turning left or not keeping
with the flow of traffic, then you can pass on the right

11-3 OTHER DANGERS OF HIGHWAY & RURAL
DRIVING

Velocitation


Highway Hypnosis



Driving much faster than intended
Becoming hypnotized by the road
Feel like you just awakened from
a dream with no recollection of
the last few seconds
To prevent both:


Drive when mentally fresh
Stop frequently and break trips up
11-3 OTHER DANGERS OF HIGHWAY & RURAL
DRIVING

Slow-Moving Vehicles
“wide-load” vehicles
 Construction zones
 Farm equipment


Dangers:
Not designed for high speed travel
 Difficult to pass


Reduce speed and don’t attempt to
pass unless you can see clearly the
road ahead
11-3 OTHER DANGERS OF HIGHWAY & RURAL
DRIVING

Off-Road Vehicles
 Less
stable than cars and provide little protection to
operators in a collision with a motor vehicle
Livestock Crossing Areas
 Horse-Drawn Vehicles and Riders
 Wild Animals
