Safety Guidelines: Tires, Entering the Car, Steering, Fog, Hydroplaning, Skids, Curves, Leaving the Road, Blowouts, Winter, Carbon Monoxide, Following Distance, Stopping Distance, Expressways, HOV Lanes, Highway Emergencies and Clean Air

Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Georgia driver's license knowledge exam. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.

Source: Georgia Driver's Manual 2023–2024, Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS), section 8 "Safety Guidelines" (pp. 38–41).

Traffic laws cannot cover every situation; these guidelines are general statements, and you must judge each situation yourself.

Tires and getting in

Before driving, check tire pressure against the psi on the door jamb with a gauge, letting air out if high and adding if low. Check tread monthly and before long trips with the penny test: put Lincoln's head into the shallowest groove; if any part of his head is covered, the tread is legal and safe; below that (about 2/32 inch) grip in bad conditions falls sharply.

Enter from the curb side when parked on the street, keys ready and facing traffic; adjust seat and mirrors; make sure passengers do not block your view; fasten belts before starting; then check around the car for hazards, bicyclists and pedestrians, signal, and pull out cautiously.

Steering

Good posture gives a better view and more control. Hold the wheel at 9 and 3 o'clock, or 8 and 4 where the manufacturer recommends it for air bags, and keep both hands on the wheel except for a brief driving task like signaling.

Fog

Avoid heavy fog if you can. Otherwise reduce speed, reduce it more when you see headlights or taillights (distance is hard to judge), use low beams because high beams glare back at you, and never drive on parking or hazard lights.

Hydroplaning and skids

Up to about 35 mph tires channel standing water away like wipers; above that they may ride up on the water like skis. Partial hydroplaning can start at 35 mph, and at 55 mph the tires may lose all contact, leaving no grip to brake, steer or accelerate. If it happens, ease off the accelerator and let the car slow. Prevent it with good tread and lower speed on wet roads. The first half-hour of rain is the most dangerous because water mixes with oil on the surface.

A skid means the tires have lost their grip and both engine power and braking are lost; hard braking or a sharp turn on a slick surface causes one. If you skid: ease off the accelerator, steer in the direction of the skid, and once control returns, brake lightly and steer to safety.

Curves and leaving the road

Curves are marked with advisory speed signs below the limit; slow before entering. If you find yourself too fast in a curve, do not brake hard (that causes a skid): ease off the gas, brake carefully, and keep steering through your lane.

To avoid leaving the pavement, watch the road, obey posted and advisory speeds, and drive defensively. If you do leave it: don't panic, take your foot off the gas, grip the wheel firmly for shocks, do not brake hard, do not jerk the wheel back onto the pavement (overcorrecting can skid or flip the car or send it into another lane); wait until you have slowed, check traffic, and merge back gently, stopping first if necessary.

Tire blow-out

A blow-out is a sudden rupture, not a slow leak, and can cost you control. Apply the brakes lightly if safe, grip the wheel firmly, take your foot off the accelerator and let the car roll down; do not move to the shoulder until the car has slowed greatly, and if it swerves onto the shoulder, let it coast to a stop rather than steering back.

Winter

Georgia's mild climate leaves most drivers inexperienced in snow and ice. Use chains or snow tires when needed, per the manufacturers' instructions; clear all windows of snow and ice; get a feel for the road by testing the brakes gently and making slight steering inputs; never brake suddenly, and slow gradually well before intersections, turns and stops; keep extra distance; reduce speed for conditions; and watch for changes ahead. Before winter, service the car, check the battery, cooling system, washer fluid, wipers and defrosters, floor-mat placement, tire condition and age, and plan your route with supplies aboard.

Carbon monoxide and steering locks

Cars produce carbon monoxide, a deadly, odorless, colorless gas; signs are sudden weariness, yawning, dizziness and nausea. Never run the engine in a garage, or in a parked car with the windows closed, never run the heater or air conditioner in a closed parked car, and never drive with a defective muffler or exhaust. Move a victim to fresh air, call emergency services and give artificial respiration if trained. Steering locks (anti-theft devices in most cars since 1969) disable steering if the ignition is turned to lock while moving.

Following distance and stopping

Rear-end crashes come from following too closely. Use the two-second rule: when the car ahead passes a fixed point, count "one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two"; reaching the point before you finish means you are too close. Add more space in bad weather, construction, heavy traffic and always at night.

Speed is a leading factor in serious crashes, and the force of impact rises sharply with speed: hitting a fixed object at 20, 40 and 60 mph is like driving off a one-, four- and nine-story building. Actual stopping distance depends on your mental and physical reaction, the pavement type and condition, tire type and tread, chassis design, brake type, condition and balance, and wind.

Expressways

Access is controlled: you enter and exit only at interchanges. Most Georgia expressways are free; a few charge tolls. Otherwise they are divided highways: median, dashed lane lines, solid edge lines, slower traffic right, and all traffic laws apply.

Entering: the ramp leads to an acceleration lane beside the roadway; match expressway speed there and merge when safe. Expressway traffic has the right-of-way, though courteous drivers make room. Exiting: move early to the lane on the exit's side, use the deceleration lane to slow (posted exit speeds are low), and warn drivers behind with brake lights or a signal if you must slow in the travel lane. On divided highways drive right of the median unless directed otherwise, and obey lane striping. The gore is the triangular area of solid white lines between an acceleration lane and the travel lane; entering drivers may not cross it and must stay in the acceleration lane until the solid line ends.

HOV lanes, marked with a diamond, are for vehicles with more than one occupant, buses, motorcycles and alternative-fuel-plate vehicles during the posted hours; fines are up to $75 first, $100 second, $150 third, and $150 plus one point for a fourth or later offense. HOT lanes are the I-85 Express Lanes, free to registered transit, carpools of three or more, motorcycles, emergency vehicles and alternative-fuel vehicles. A diverging diamond interchange shifts traffic to the opposite side of the road so left turns onto the ramp need no stop, cutting evening rush delays up to 20 percent.

Tips: plan the trip (511ga.org lists construction and closures); check fuel, water, oil and tires, since exits are far apart; check mirrors constantly and before every lane change; stay out of other drivers' blind spots, especially trucks; signal before changing lanes; when passing, do not return until you see the passed car clearly in your mirror; obey maximum and minimum limits; expect heavy commuter traffic; never back up; never stop on the expressway (switching drivers or stretching is not an emergency), and if you must, raise the hood, turn on the hazards and do not walk along the road; stop driving when drowsy and avoid stimulant "stay awake" drugs; fight highway hypnosis by moving your eyes between near and far objects; keep an escape route in mind; and never trust another driver's signal until the move is under way.

Other highway emergencies

Jammed accelerator: slap the pedal with your foot, shift to neutral, concentrate on steering, use the brakes, and turn off the ignition (not to lock). Brake failure: shift to a lower gear, use the parking brake, rub a tire against the curb, and look for a safe place to slow to a stop. Wet brakes: after deep water, test the brakes lightly (they may pull or fail) and dry them by driving slowly in low gear with light brake pressure. Fire: smother it with mud, dirt, dust or snow, carry water in a hubcap from a ditch, or loosen dirt with the tire tool to throw on the flames.

Protecting the air

Vehicle emissions form ground-level ozone, worst in warm weather. In the thirteen-county metro Atlanta area (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale), gasoline cars and light trucks less than 25 model years old pass an annual emissions inspection before registration, with the three newest model years exempt. Removing emission controls violates federal and state law. Maintain the car, consolidate trips, carpool and use transit, and minimize idling: idling 10 seconds burns more fuel than restarting.

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