I know sharp turns all too well; Driving on the scenic, wooded backroads of hilly West Virginia, one encounters sharp turns and winding roads all the time. Personally, I prefer the serpentine roads to the straight roads that we could have if we would simply demolish all of our mountains.

I have met many a big-city driver, accustomed to rush hour, bumper-to-bumper traffic at 80 miles an hour, who has become absolutely petrified at the sight of our winding mountain roads.

The most important aspect of negotiating a kiss-your-behind, hairpin turn is the approach. In short, you need to drive a little bit more slowly on roads where sharp turns are common. In West Virginia, failure to properly adjust for a turn could mean tumbling off of a steep 500 foot incline, into the loving arms of a Maple tree if you're lucky. In other areas, the botched turn might result in the comparatively minor embarrassing rendezvous with a ditch.

Keep both hands firmly on the steering wheel. You should ease off of the gas pedal and be slowed down before the turn, but not be riding the brakes through it, and you should resume acceleration as you come out of the turn. Locking up the brakes, mid-turn, could obviously send you skidding to your premature doom, so don't do that.

As a driver, you must remain ever vigilant in looking out for curves and any other hazards, at all times; Usually sharp turns are marked with a warning sign that includes a recommended speed, but not always. Sometimes these signs are stolen by mean-spirited vandals, so it is up to you to make sure that you are always paying attention. In hazardous driving conditions, such as rain or snow, it is a good idea to shift down to a lower gear. Even more care must be taken if you drive a tall vehicle, such as a Jeep or an SUV, as these are more prone to rollovers.

On some less-aggressive turns, you could take a cue from the lyrics of the "Dukes of Hazzard" theme song, where Waylon Jennings sings, "straightenin' the curves...". My Driver's Education teacher referred to this action as "minimizing the turns":

When the other lane (on a 2-lane road) is safely clear of any other vehicles, you can take a relatively straight line through a curve, rather than following the S- or U-shape faithfully. This same technique can be used on a major 4-lane highway, just make sure that there is no other vehicle beside you or in your blind spot. Of course, highways tend to be generally more straight than old country roads, but highways do have their share of turns, as well.

Not to sound like a parody of a cliche, but cars are not toys or video game consoles, and if you crash there is no "RESET" button. So be careful.

Learn more about this author, Billy Sunshine.
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