Well placed to progress

Throughout the Young Driver of the Year campaign, three professional drivers take turns in the driver’s seat to offer specialist advice on subjects Grampian Police consider important in the fight against road traffic collisions. This week, Neil Warden, chairman of the Aberdeen branch of the IAM, handles positioning

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WHEN driving any vehicle, it is extremely important to position it correctly, not only at junctions and corners but when travelling behind other vehicles. Dropping back and adopting the two-second rule gives a driver a better field of vision.

When driving in the country and negotiating bends, you should adjust your position for two reasons – to get the best view ahead and to straighten the curve.

Many safety factors must also be considered – visibility, the road surface and what other road users might be doing – before deciding how much of the width of your lane can be used for negotiating the bend.

Vehicle speed should also be adjusted before entering any bend and a suitable gear engaged to maximise the vehicle’s stability throughout the manoeuvre.

When dealing with a left-hand bend, adopt a position to the centre of the road, but not to the point of touching the cat’s eyes.

Hold this position until your view opens up, allowing you to smoothly move back towards the nearside to straighten the last part of the corner, thus maximising the stability of the vehicle.

A similar approach can be adopted for right-hand bends.

Taking up a position closer to the nearside of the carriageway – again not too close that you are kicking up any gravel – will allow for a better view through the bend. Straightening the last part of the bend offers better grip and earlier acceleration.

It must be emphasised that this technique must be conducted in a manner which will not cause alarm to other road users or reduce your margin for error.

Always take a corner at a speed which allows you to stop in the distance you can see to be clear.