Two things:

a) FOLLOW THE TRANSPORTERS! They know the roads in and out because they drive it everyday. With this alone you can never fall into a pothole.

b) In the rare event that this happens, two things:

- if you are using a 4WD or RWD (Mercedes products), engage your brakes and swerve around the pothole: the car can handle it.
- if you are using a FWD (Japanese cars), you may need to force your car into a lower gear top assist in cutting your speed. The car will ker heavily, but you will achieve speed reduction in a manner that will not cause a summersault (which will occur if you just ram the brakes only).

azpekuliar: If you SUDDENLY sight it, drive right into it while slowing down. Seen avoidable accidents and needless deaths occur just because the driver tried to dodge a pothole he sighted late. Better to end up with damaged rims, suspensions and shocks, than end up in the morgue.

Na so! I don enter enough pot holes on high speed, I just step on the brake and enter it, it never occurred to me to try and maneuver around it.

Guess your post implies that dodging the pothole is near impossible. Slam your brakes! If the car doesn't stop before the pothole, remember to release the brakes just before entering the bad spot - you'll damage the vehicle more if you enter the pothole with the brakes.

moodswing: Confess your sins and say your last prayer. Jump to the back seat and continuously shout Chinekeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!.



Till you blank out......................

Next question........

.........lol.......oboy....u are totally messedup man.....lol .............na wa for u ooo.....wat u just wrote brought some funny but serious memories.....it happened when I dey do my NYSC for Anambra....the thing funny no be small

Sisi_Kill: I have to say that I admire the accepting spirit of Nigerians. No matter what is thrown at us, we accept it and figure out ways to live with it.

What do you if you see a pothole at 100km/hr speed or above? Since you are driving on a road at 100km/hr, it is safe to assume the road is a Major road. . .a highway even. Which begs the question - why should there be a pothole on a road where people can drive 100km/hr? Why should there a pothole on a road/major highway in a country with an FG, SG and LG?

What do you do if you see a pothole at 100km/speed or above? How's about we make sure we don't see a pothole when driving at 100km/hr speed and above by calling the people in charge to task?! How's about we start demanding more for ourselves? At what point are we gonna start saying enough. . .enough with the senseless deaths caused by accidents? Enough with the flushing of money down the drain because you have to change your car ever year?

Ah! Don't mind me, just musing out loud.

@ Topic
Do not Swerve!!

you have NO idea. what do you do when you wake up to face two armed robbers who have broken into your house?

my reaction drew admonitions from just about everybody - family, friends, colleagues

Don't be too fast on a road you are not used to. Potholes don't just appear so you should know where they are on the roads you are used to and you can think ahead before approaching them.

However there's no fixed formular as to what to do if one meets a pothole at that speed. Use all your senses and be able to make rational decisions in split seconds and take the branch with the least amount of possible damage. If you are unable to make such quick decisions at such short notice you should stick with 60km/h. You'll get there still... only a few minutes later...but you'll get there alive.

i think caution is important, apparently, we shouldnt drive at break neck speed, especially on a road you're not used to

Siena:

As in the death of a project, yes...

...But in the context in which the word "fatal" was used here, it was incorrect.

the wole soyinkas small small o

chucky234: I thought most of these modern cars come with ABS,for a car running 80mph you can successfully apply your break without having to swerve the car.
All you have to do is apply the break slowly then full break if the pothole is bigger/larger what you initially assumed,with ABS car you will surely come out smoking,Rambo style.

Wrong.

ABS does not reduce the stopping distance. In fact, it increases it.

The work of ABS is to prevent any of the wheels from locking, hence, the name: Anti-Lock-Brake system.

ABS will help you to swerve out of an object without hitting it. But because the sensors on the wheels sense wheels that are about to lock in such situation, and the ABS controller reduces the pressure of blake fluid on such wheels to prevent it from locking, which will increase the stopping distance of the car. Non ABS 4 wheel disc brake car stops shorter than the ABS car, only that it will lack Anti-Lock.

Ikenna.

moodswing: Confess your sins and say your last prayer. Jump to the back seat and continuously shout Chinekeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!.



Till you blank out......................

Next question........

This got me cracking but still not funny

when you get there, call me

Engage your turbo charger and rocket engines! then fly over it.
Quite simple really!

Siena:

The most sensible response here. If I know a route I take has random potholes, I wouldn't be driving fast. 100km/h though may be only 62mph, but there've been fatal, or close to trying to avoid obstacles at this relatively modest speed. Worse when the car has had the suspension artificially jacked up, any sudden change in direction can unsettle the ride.



Fatal means there was loss of life. Your case can hardly be described as fatal, if there were no casualties can it?

Fatal means capable of causing or causing death. Fatal can be used even if the accident did not involve death

Just confess ur sins and ask God for forgiveness....coz death awaits him.

When I'm close, I enter, albeit at reduced speed.

First i must say thumbs up for all those who made reasonable comments. However i must add that no two driving experience are the same! The stunt A pulled at the same situation might not apply for B. Now to the question, no theory said here would apply to you when faced with the situation real time, simply because there are a thousand and one factors that would be responsible for whatever decision you'd take and you alone at that short time would make the best decision. Factors like what kinda vehicle you're driving(bus,car,brand,e.t.c), the proximity of other road users, how many people are on board and a whole lot of issues would be considered within that split second. So you'd clearly see friends that a whole lot of factors are involved when it comes to making decisions while driving. Above all driving is like every other act, practice(driving) makes perfect. Trust me you might not be really perfect, but you'd have gathered enough experience that'll make you a better driver. Ciao!

But how can someone be trekking at 100km/hr? na winch...
Ok seriously......All you have to do is just to avoid over-speeding.. Just drive normal so that when you see a pot hole,you can escape it comfortably... That way,your car is safe and so are you...Dont let those movies influence your driving.. Do you know that the guy who acted "2 fast too furious" drives at an average speed 22km/hr on highways...

logo77: Please guys what is the best approach/decision to make when a driver suddenly sights a pothole "Death Trap" while travelling at a high speed.


Suggestions please.....

carry your car on your head and jump and pass the pothole shikena!

Just drive regularly, all those tips put above will come to you naturally when you see the pothole. The decision for me will be dependent on the circumstance, i could stride, i could slow down and take it, i could swerve to my right (i mostly swerve to the right because overtaking vehicles if any should normally do that from my left) and most importantly, i am consistently viewing the cars behind me through all my three mirrors so i can almost certainly determine and judge distances within a couple of 5 seconds or even less.

For the past more than 10yrs, even as a growing adult, i have been driving from Lag to the East every December and some times during easter and new yam festival so i should know.

toba: this is tricky. its either u apply ur brake and then enter the pothole or u check ur mirror, if both sides re free, then u can swerve to either side.
just as stated above, trying to avoid traps like that has caused several more fatal accidents than anticipated.

my two experiences i would share. sometime in 2003, i was returning from vgc via the lekki epe expressway. just before the chevron roundabout around 9pm i didnt sight the gallop on time at a speed of 120km/hr, i applied my brake softly and then passed over at high speed. thank God nothing happened but may if applied a forceful brake, something might have happened. only God knows.

The other happened same yr just by the MRS filling station along the owonronsoki expressway whilst going to ikeja. the guy in my front saw a pothole, decided to apply his brake all of a sudden and stopped completely. i had no choice than to hit him from behind and the commercial bus behind me also hit me. it was some how fatal but no casaulties.


lesson: applying brake isnt the solution

una go wunjure pesin here o

2 things come to mind and intuitively too....mirror and brake. skill, intuition and boldness take over therefrom.
truth is, lots of folks have died trying to protect the car instead of prolonging their lives.

ba7man: Pls, note these points carefully:
(1) Know your car's handling capabilities. A BMW can sucessfully avoid the pothole but a Honda or Toyota might crash. (2) Press your breaks to slow down but never hold it into the pothole. Release it just b4 u enter to reduce d impact. Some potholes are less felt when enterd with speed. (3) Never break and turn ur steering wheel sharply at the same time. (4) B aware of traffic behind u.

guy u r hud. I like number 2.

This question is like medicine after death.

First, you 're hardly in a position to playback and apply any advise u get when faced with a potential accident at a fast pace. Trust me it's not Fighter Simulator or Xbox
Secondly, It's most important that you maintain frequent slows in the middle of your highss !! once on a free way especially on Nigerian roads.
Third and probably my advise. Try to brake slowly tapping your brakes and just drive through it. Unless it's a ditch.
If a ditch then you definitely weren't alert enough !!! you probably where looking at ur bonnet instead of looking 20-40 meters ahead. Nonetheless take evasive action, slow and try to swerve as best as you can to avoid the hole, Taking into consideration estimated speed and traffic of vehicles behind, besides and coming opposite you.

moodswing: Confess your sins and say your last prayer. Jump to the back seat and continuously shout Chinekeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!.



Till you blank out......................

Next question........

Oh my gawd, you really must be having mood swings. I almost died laughing!

from my plenty years of experience i'v come 2 undastand dat experience is d best teacher in driving

@poster - follow ur instinct and hope dat it works out well. Pls dnt 4get 2 pray b4 hiting d highway, there's always a God factor in driving, even d best experts dnt get it right all d time.

Just close ur eyes and say ''Jesus take the wheel'' and d pothole wud disappear

[size=18pt]oh yeah men of little faith,when you see a pot hole and you are on high speed,close your eyes and shout blood of jesus and you will instantly be saved[/size]

close your eyes,lift ur hands up and sing #Jesus take the wheels,take it from my hand#

fire dey go, the impact will be minimal

Depends on the vehicle and your instincts but the best thing to do is to minimise contact while maintaining stability.

If you can free 1 wheel good, 2 better, 3 better still. The worst thing you can do is brake and swerve at the same time. You'd almost always loose control.

I let two tyres go along Ikom road at the infamous 'Devil's Hill' at 160k's and still recovered to make Abakaliki a while ago.

Minimise contact. Never, never brake and swerve.