1. Chapter 9 Environments and Traffic Settings
UNIT 4
APPLYING EFFECTIVE DRIVING
Chapter 9 Environments and Traffic Settings

2. Lesson 1 – Residential Streets
Factors that affect driving on residential streets:
Expect the unexpected
Drive slower
Watch for pedestrians,
children playing and bicyclists
Watch for parked cars and
cars pulling out of driveways

3. Lesson 2 – Urban and Suburban Streets
Factors that affect urban and suburban driving:
Expect dense traffic
Watch for pedestrians
Be extra careful at intersections (cars and pedestrians)
Expect slow or irregular traffic flow
Be aware of potholes and other road defects
Watch for stopped trucks and cars (taxi’s)

4. Managing visibility, time and space in urban and suburban driving:
Look at least 2 city blocks ahead and from one side of the street to the other
Check mirrors to monitor traffic
Stay alert at all times
Watch for signs and signals
Drive at a moderate speed
Always be ready to stop
Expect to do a lot of braking
Give yourself extra time (expect traffic)
Increase following distance
When stopping, give yourself plenty of space

5. LESSON 3 – MULTI-LANE HIGHWAYS
Special factors which affect driving on multi-lane highways:
Almost never need to stop
Usually two or more lanes moving quickly
Entrance and exit lanes are
usually on the right
Cars are driven at higher
speeds
Frequent passing
Expect to see large trucks

6. Merging traffic – traffic is
Interchanges – points
where two highways cross
Merging traffic – traffic is
entering the highway from
entrance ramps or
acceleration lanes (short,
one-way roads connecting
two highways)
deceleration lanes allow
vehicles to reduce speed
to exit

7. Managing driving on multi-lane highways:
Search 20 to 30 seconds ahead (to the horizon)
Watch for danger at entrances and exits
Increase following distance when driving behind large trucks
Check mirrors frequently
Check for road signs
When merge, accelerate to the flow of traffic
When exiting move into the exit lane as soon as possible
Pay extra attention when in bumper to bumper traffic (frequent braking)
Be careful when passing

8. Lesson 4 – rural roads Factors which affect driving on rural roads:
Be aware and adjust to road conditions
Watch for sharp curves and steep hills
Watch for slow moving vehicles
Be aware of potential sight obstructions (ex. Trees)
Be prepared to see animals and objects in the road
Driving on rural roads:
Search 20 to 30 seconds ahead
Drive at a safe speed
When driving at night, you may need to use your high beams