Tinyemeka: It happened to me once along Enugu-PH expressway, just before Okigwe.
I had a very bad headache then and couldn't concentrate on the driving. My speed was 140km/h. The hole just appeared out of nowhere and stretched to both sides of the road.

I just reacted by instinct: both sides of the road were to deep for me to swerve off-road. I simply slammed on the brakes and dove into the pothole. The force was too much and burst my front, left wheel. Once I cleared the hole, I released the brake and focused on steering and bringing the car back to control. The rim also suffered a dent. As God would have it, there was no oncoming vehicle ahead or behind me. But the experience really scared me. Funnily, the headache also disappeared miraculously.

I find it absurd driving at 80km/hr on the expressway. Territory be known or unknown.

van bonattel: fire dey go, the impact will be minimal

Ikenna351:

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.

lumideezle: It is always safer to run into the pothole than any other course of actio. That of cause depends on the speed you are traveling.
I remember taking safe and defensive driving lessons in my former company and emphases was laid on this particular issue. They said run in2 the pothole. You are better off fixing your car than in the morgue

redsun: U dont have to be on that kind of speed in d first place,u are not in a race track or autoban. That is a suicidal speed for nigeria death trap roads and that is why u guys die needlessly. The average stopping distance for a sound car driven at d speed of 70mph by a sound driver on sound road is 96metres.

chidyke77: best advice so far
y speeding at all in Nigeria roads most especially unfamiliar roads

Ikenna351: If you are here to learn how to drive on highway, then you should go back to driving school and start from there.

The topic simply means how to drive on highway. You dont learn driving by reading. Its a skill you learn by frrquent practice. The more you drive in the city as a beginner, the more you become skilled enough, an expert. A non expert behind the wheel or an inexperienced driver has no business with highway motoring.

I can understand why number of half baked drivers is increasing in Nigeria, since the introduction of auto transmission in today driving school. A learner will buy a car today, drive it in the city the next two days, and drive the car on highway the 3rd day. After all, he can accelerate, brake and steer the car from an object. Isn't that what driving is all about?

Learning driving with manual transmission forces one to actually imbibe the driving skill. A lot of learning takes place when a leaner is driving a manual tranny car, subconsciously. It will force you to drive as a leaner for a very long time in the city, which involves a lot of brain activity: mastering clutch engagements, when to shift to a higher and lower gears, when to use wheel brake or engine brake, etc. Unlike the auto trans that you will have only the accelerator and steering wheel to control, leaving you as dummy. The two weeks you spent in driving school are not enough to master these things. Dont expect an instructor to teach you skill he learnt after 20 years of driving in just 2 weeks.

Highway is not some exams where you read and write. It takes minutes to act on city roads, but it takes seconds for highway. You dont think on highway, you just act. Because you dont have that time to think, unlike the city driving. Its your subconscious that makes you do whatever you find yourself doing in any eventuality on highway. Its something you find yourself doing, without knowing how. Because its skill. Trust me, if you see a deep pothole on top speed, you wont remember what your instructor or someone has taught you to do in such circumstances. Everything happens in seconds. Poor judgement leads you to death or hospital. Good judgement keeps you going. All the theories you gathered as a learner ends mostly on the city roads. How you perfect your driving in the cities, is what will keep you alive first time you drive on highway.

Now to the question. Not all cars will behave the same way if you jump a deep pothole or swerve out of a pothole on top speed. Some cars are designed for highway and some are not. Likewise, the unique nature of Nigerian highways are not meant for everything on 4 wheels.

What i would do if i see myself in such situation, depends on what i am driving. Not all cars can take swerving on speed more than 100 km/h. Likewise, not all cars can maintain balance when it jumps a deep pothole on speed more than 120 km/h. This where the body weight, tire sizes, suspension & ground clearance come in. This is why am strongly against people altering the factory suspension of their cars, and still expect the car to perform as designed when it meets such situation. Such things are put into considerations when designing highway cars by the manufacturers. Altering any of it, means the car is no longer fit for high speed driving. It is that simple.

If you must drive on Nigerian highway as an inexperienced driver, dont speed upto 80 km/h. If you must drive a city car (a non handler) on Nigeria highway, dont speed beyond 80 km/h. With that speed, you can easily, brake or steer out of the pothole, without finding yourself and the car in the bush.

Ikenna.

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.

CHIMCO: To be safe-Dont be above 80kph in an unknown terrin so as to use ur brake no matter what you see ahead.

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



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

Next question........

bigv: 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!

cecegorz:
Lesson 1. don't press and hold your break at such speed, your car will roll-over

SlyIg: Simply project and take off like a plane into the air. But remember to land at the tamac.

Denn: Fatal can also mean " causing destruction, misfortune, ruin, or failure: The withdrawal of funds was fatal to the project."

The guy ruined some expensive vehicle parts and it could have been "fatal" to his pocket

Source: dictionary.com

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