Goal: Teach your teen to drive safely and with confidence on two-lane rural roads.

Location: A two-lane rural road.

Lesson one – gravel roads

Gravel roads present their own special road safety challenge. The issue is traction. Driving on loose gravel is harder than driving on pavement because your tires don’t have the traction needed to give you stable control. Slow down, avoid sudden turning, accelerate and brake slowly, and increase your following distance to six seconds. Be particularly aware of gravel “windrows,” piles of gravel near the road edge, used for highway maintenance.

Lesson two – driving hazards

Large/slow vehicles: Slower trucks, farm vehicles, and road maintenance equipment are likely to make wide turns at unmarked entrances. Use caution and make sure the driver can see your vehicle before passing.

Sharp drop-offs and gravel shoulders: One of the most common driving hazards is running off the road. The urge to overcorrect is strong and often results in a serious crash. If you run off the road,
follow these steps to ease your vehicle back onto the road:

• Do not turn the wheel; continue driving straight.
• Take your foot off the accelerator.
• Find a safe place to reenter the road.
• Turn on your turn signal and reenter the road when it is clear.
• In general, try to not apply brakes until regaining control of the vehicle.

Restricted visibility: Trees, cornfields, buildings, and hills can block a driver’s view of oncoming traffic, or traffic entering from the side. Identify blind spots to better anticipate and be prepared
for potential dangers.

Uncontrolled intersections: These are intersections not controlled by signs, signals, or pavement markings. Use caution, slow down,
and be check both ways twice. Proceed cautiously once no oncoming traffic. The vehicle on the left should yield.

Animals: If unable to stop for an animal crossing the road, do NOT swerve – swerving makes it
hard to keep control. The most serious crashes happen when drivers swerve into oncoming traffic
or roll into a ditch.

If you see an animal, slow down and be prepared to stop. Always be on the lookout, especially at sunrise and sunset. October and November are peak months for deer crashes. Deer travel in groups; if you see one, look for more.

Hills and curves: These are often steeper and sharper on rural roads than on highways. Before reaching the crest of a hill, or entering a curve, slow down, move to the right side, and watch for traffic.

Railroad crossings: Always slow down, look both ways, listen, and be prepared to stop. On rural roads, many railroad crossings are marked only with a round yellow ‘railroad crossing ahead’ warning sign and a white X-shaped railroad crossing. There may not be flashing lights, warning bells, crossing gates, or pavement markings. It is difficult to judge the speed of a train, so before you cross, make sure you don’t see or hear a train either direction. It is difficult to judge the speed of a train, so before you cross, make sure you don’t see or hear a train either direction.

If you do see a train, remember that the train you see is closer and faster-moving than you think. Wait for it to pass by before you proceed across the tracks, as trains cannot stop quickly. Even if the locomotive engineer sees you, a freight train moving at 55 miles per hour can take a mile or more to
stop once the emergency brakes are applied. That’s 18 football fields!
Remind your teen to never drive around lowered gates — it’s illegal and deadly. If you suspect a signal is malfunctioning, you should call the emergency number posted on or near the crossing signal or your local law enforcement agency.
Do not get trapped on the tracks; proceed through a railroad crossing only if you are sure you can completely clear the crossing without stopping. Remember, the train is three feet wider than the tracks on both sides.
If your vehicle ever stalls on a track with a train coming, get out immediately and move quickly away from the tracks in the direction from which the train is coming. If you run in the same direction the train is traveling, when the train hits your car you could be injured by flying debris. Call your local law
enforcement agency for assistance.