This page has been written to complement a previous entry on this site, and which deals with Bend Assessment, so if you have not visited the Bend Assessment page prior to this we suggest that you go there now by clicking HERE now.

The ideal cornering situation is to have the vehicle travelling at the right speed, in the right gear, from the right position on the road, and for it to be able to remain there.  Ideally we also want the balance of the vehicle to be maintained at its best possible point at all times throughout the curve so as to achieve the maximum level of stability, and therefore to keep it within it's own performance limits, as well as to the maximum level of control ability of the driver.  We do this by keeping the load distribution over the vehicle as a whole as well balanced and as evenly spread as possible, so reducing the effect of any adverse forces acting upon that vehicle to a minimum.

We will come onto cornering forces later and in a another chapter within this series, but suffice to say at this time it is enough to realise that the natural state for any moving object will always be to travel in a straight path and to cause that object to deviate from that path we must introduce a force that will cause it to deflect or veer away from that natural course.  The force that we wish to use in the case of the road vehicle comes in the form of the grip of the tyre upon the road surface, which is achieved by friction, combined with the swivelling of the front wheels that is brought about through the steering mechanism being operated by you as the driver.

As you turn the steering wheel to the left, and the front wheel and tyres make their response, asking the car to follow them.  Providing there is sufficient tyre grip available, the car will obediently obey, but all the time the wheels are taking themselves to the left, every part of the car is protesting; arguing they want to carry on going straight.  This means that we have a form of conflict going on within the vehicle, and whilst we cannot change the laws of physics so as to prevent this conflict, we can make the best of the situation by treating the vehicle with empathy.

What we need to do when corning, if we are to get the best performance out of the car, and because we can’t keep its overall weight evenly distributed between all four wheels, is to create the best case scenario by keeping the loading equally spread between pairs of wheels, either on the same axle, or on the same side of the car.  This will mean that when cornering, whilst we can’t avoid the two sides of the car being unequally loaded due to the cornering forces involved, we can keep both off-side wheels loaded equally, and both near-side wheels loaded equally, to achieve the most desirable set of circumstances.  This is accomplished through the throttle and combined with smooth and progressive steering movements.

By arriving at the corner at the most appropriate speed, and with the correct gear engaged, when it actually comes to the steering part of the process we can balance the car up nicely by applying just enough engine power to maintain a constant road speed, to that it is powering the car along, but without accelerating.  If we also maintain a constant degree of steering, and both the degree of power and amount of steering remain uninterrupted, we will be negotiating the curve at the highest level of efficiency. What this all boils down to is we have to be smooth, we have to be consistent and we have to choose the most effective course to be used from the start of the curve through to the end.

When driving on the public road the most desirable line through a bend may well be different from that chosen if we were driving on a track, for example, because on a road there are other factors that need to be considered, which are not present within a track driving environment, and which are separate from any rules of physics.  When driving on a road we have to share that environment with others, some of whom will also be driving vehicles, and with a fair number of them travelling in the opposite direction to that of ourselves.  Therefore, the most efficient route through a bend could do us harm by bringing us into conflict with someone else, but even if we adjust our route to cater for such factors, the principles of cornering still need to be observed if to achieve the best results.

Let us now look at some of the options.



The typical manner in which the standard road driver will approach a left-hand corner or bend will be to tuck the vehicle in close to the left and basically follow the line of the verge or kerb.  Many do this for no reason that is known to them, and others may claim they are trying to stay away from danger by putting as much space between them and the centre of the road.

So, what is wrong with hugging the verge?  Well, for a start you have severely and unnecessarily restricted your view of the road head and into the bend.  If you have restricted your view you have reduced the flow of information, and what information you do get comes to you much later, giving you less time to deal with it.  This line of approach has also put you on a tighter arc through the curve, sent you in shallow, as we say, and that means the ability of your car to negotiate the bend will be handicapped.  From this position, to remain within your own lane to the exit side of the bend, you may either have to reduce your speed or go through the bend on the edge of the ability of both you and your car to remain in control.

Other factors involved here are that whilst you are tucked tight into the road side, and you have shortened your view of the road ahead, you have also hidden your vehicle away from the view of any oncoming driver and for longer.  That means anyone coming towards you will see you later, and that may not be a good thing.  What we say is to be bold, show yourself so you can be seen and see a lot more for yourself.

The most effective approach position from which to negotiate a left hand bend is to place the car as far across to the offside of the road as possible. The problem with that is the right-hand side of the road tends to be used by traffic travelling from the opposite direction, and those drivers could perhaps become upset with you for being what they perceive as a potential threat to their general state of well being.  However, if no one else is using it, there are no aggravating factors present and the road signs and markings allow it, then as far as we are concerned that space is there to be used.

For the second diagram we have left the red car in place, showing the most desirable line, but superimposed a white car onto the drawing to show the effect of using a less appropriate line.

For both cars the speed at which they are travelling is the same, as will be the degree of steering applied, but because the white car has gone into the bend on a shallow line, it has drifted wide on the exit side.  For the driver of that car to have remained on the correct side of the road, and therefore away from conflict, he would have to negotiate the bend at a slower speed and vary the degree of steering applied whilst cornering, to remain with the contours of the curve.

It should go without saying that the entry position shown as taken by the red car will only be achievable if by moving the car out to the right there will be no conflict with, or inconvenience caused, to any other road user,

as the golden rule will always be that we never forsake safety for position.  If the offside of the road is not available then we are going to have to keep to a tighter line and take the bend more slowly.

The principles involved in effective cornering methods for right hand bends are much the same, except here we do not have as much space in which to alter our line.  However, when looking at a right hand bend we need to ask ourselves, is there any area of potential conflict, and if so, where will it come from?  What we are saying here is if any harm were to come to us in this bend, where would it come from and at what point would it occur?

Most obviously the potential danger is going to come from another vehicle, and one that will be coming towards us, because the driver of that vehicle is approaching a left hand bend, and if he were to misjudge the curve and enter too quickly, to where would his vehicle be likely to drift whilst he struggles to keep it under control?  You don’t need to be told the answer to that, but the most obvious way in which we can protect ourselves is to keep as far away from the area of potential conflict as we can.

To keep away from potential conflict and danger on a right hand bend the most appropriate position is to run the car as close to the left of the carriageway as possible, so putting space between us and the opposite lane.  Unlike the driver travelling through a left hand bend with the same thought, there are advantages when dealing with right hand bends to doing this.  By running on the wider arc we are actually subjecting the car to less lateral forces and so giving us the ability to maintain the flow of the drive at a more even rate by having to make less adjustments in speed.  It also means that we are extending our range of visibility into the curve, as well as placing ourselves where we can seen earlier and more easily by oncoming drivers.

As before, we will now look at some diagrams to explain the procedures.

In the first illustration the driver of the red car has chosen the optimum line for a right hand bend on the road.  Whilst approaching he has moved the car tight over to the left and then remained on that line whilst keeping to a smooth and constant arc until emerging on the far side.

This isn’t as easy as it looks, as the natural instinct is to pull the car off line and into the middle of the road.  However, with practise completed at slow speeds, and then gradually building up to higher speeds, by adopting the line into the bend at an early stage in the approach, the techniques can be learned well.

Obviously there are external factors that may have an adverse effect upon us by using this line and these have to be taken into consideration.  Examples of these may be broken or sunken road edges or accumulated dirt and debris being present that may well reduce tyre grip.  As with every facet of driving we always need to be studying the road surface and surrounding environment and so consider what effect changes in these conditions will have upon our ability to stop or to successfully complete a particular function.

In our third illustration the white car driver is doing something that is called Apexing, and this is a very common method used for driving right hand bends.  You probably witness it on a daily basis, seeing a vehicle travelling towards you and clipping a bit of your lane mid-corner.  Whether you are conscious of it or not, you may well do this your self and we are now going to point out the folly in your doing so.

Nine point nine times out of ten those who apex a right hand bend will get away with it, but that will only be through good fortune, but let us consider what circumstances amount to bad fortune.

In the diagram there is a small group of trees on the off side and on the inner apex of the bend.  Either side of the road we have hedgerows, and whilst we can not see what the view of the road is like from a drivers-eye level, knowing the British countryside as we do, we can guess that the trees and hedges are high enough to obscure our view of what lays beyond.  What this tells us is that we will be unaware of the presence of the approach car.

a smooth and constant arc, and a little power applied just to keep the engine pulling, but without inducing any increase in road speed.

Once the technique for dealing with singular bends has been mastered, the next stage is to overlap your bend work so as to deal with a series of bends, or at the very least, two bends within close proximity to one another.

experience, and when it all comes together you really have reached the state of driver and machine working together in perfect harmony.

A view into a bend can vary from one bend to another, and maybe from one day to the next for the same bend, so use the diagrams as a guide only. Also, the condition and frictional properties of the road surface will vary considerably from one bend to the next and therefore will directly affect the ability of your car to negotiate the bend safely. Take into account the effect overhanging trees or bushes may have in shedding material onto the road, or shielding the road from sunlight after a frost when all around has thawed. The hazards that can be encountered are as many as they are diverse.  Each bend has to be judged upon its own merits as to where you place your car during the approach.

The thing to remember here is that whether you are dealing with a right or left handed bend you have to set the car up on the optimum line well before you reach that bend and not try to do it during the entry process. However, should you find that you have gone in a bit too quickly, and things are looking a little awkward, don't look at where you fear you will go, perhaps to the tree or the hedge in front of you, otherwise that is exactly where you will end up. Keep looking around the corner to where you actually want to go. It is amazing how this will produce about 5% more tyre grip!

Alternative road positioning methods for bends work extremely well, but maximum exploitation of space must not be used at the expense of safety or to the inconvenience to others.  There will also need to be consideration of other factors so as to determine if the application of such techniques are actually appropriate.  You cannot, for example, step the car out to the right hand side of the carriageway at the approach to a left hand bend if there is a double-white line system with the solid white line set against you.  It will be inappropriate to use that open line of approach if there is a junction to your right, or if there are other vehicles coming towards you.  Even if there is a pedestrian on the offside of the carriageway, as for that pedestrian, having a car coming along on what will be perceived to be the wrong side of the road can be alarming to someone on foot, as in the position of that person your threat perception level will be very strong. From a third party perception point of view, such actions will not win you any popularity points.

Also, think about whether the use of alternative positioning methods is appropriate for your given situation, as there may be no point in moving your car completely out to the offside of the road at the approach to a left hand bend if the speed limit is 30mph and on a road that is as wide as a football pitch.

Finally, think about all aspects of what you are doing, act in an appropriate manner and always consider how others will perceive your actions.  The public road never should be regarded as a competitive environment, or a place where any one driver has an absolute right of possession over an area of tarmac.  Drive to the system, always drive at a speed from which you can stop within the piece of road surface that is visible to you at any given time, and always be willing and able to give ground.


Julian Smith
Ride Drive Limited