Turns along the streets are always a danger for car drivers, also when they are not very sharp and they are even more dangerous when downhill.

- The first thing to do for not risking to skid, is slowing down, not suddenly, at the last second and already at the beginning of the curve, but 1-2 or more seconds before it, mainly, by means of the necessary insertion of a lower gear, not only with the brakes.

At that point, turn the steer with regularity, without sudden movements, trying to keep the same steering angle during the whole curve.
Eventually, accelerate only at the end of the curve, for not to skid (especially, on wet asphalt).
You mustn't hear your wheels tires squeaking also because this is surely the sign you are too fast; moreover, doing it frequently, you will consume them too much.
Some people seem enjoy make their wheels squeaking in curve, but this is only the sign of their irresponsibility for the mistakes they are doing.

- Of course, you must be even more prudent in case of rain, snow or wet asphalt because, in such conditions, you can suddenly and more easily lose the adherence of all the wheels to the road without losing your speed to increase the damage you can suffer and cause.
Rain, in fact, is one of the main accidents causes because it decreases in any case the necessary friction between the wheels and the asphalt and the special rain-tires available in commerce can give you only a partial help.

- Cars with electronic brake, stability and suspension control systems are safer and stable at higher speeds in the curves, but don't think their safety is absolute; they have their stability limits too and you mustn't touch them because, if you lose the control in a curve at the highest speeds allowed by high level and sportive cars, the consequences will be much more dangerous and easily deadly.

- Another simple, but important tip, is to check frequently your tires pressure (especially, of the fore wheels that meet the curves as first bearing most of your car's weight and are steering too). If pressure is scarce, in fact, your wheels are more easily deformed toward the exterior by the centrifugal force, making you lose the control.

You can notice that your tires are low of pressure by hearing their squeaking in the curves also in normal conditions that, normally, can never cause this noise and for your difficulty to keep a "clean" path during the curve.

- Pay attention to the possible presence of zones along a sharp turn with sand, mud, leaves or little stones also in dry conditions because they make you lose suddenly your adherence in the curves, even more than rain that is, instead, a more constant condition along a road.

- Don't cut the curve towards the interior, occupying the opposite lane to increase the radius of the curve and gain more speed; you are not on a race track, with all the road for you!
This is extremely dangerous because you cut the way to the cars getting to the curve in the opposite direction, causing very dangerous accidents, above all, when the curve is sharp and blind.

- Don't keep you head-lights on the full beam in curve by night; you risk to make the cars in the opposite direction lose their control, with risk of terrible accidents that can involve your car too. So, keep the light low, with attention.

Learn more about this author, Aldo Bonincontro.
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