Driving in the country

Country roads can be winding and narrow. Take extra care on unsealed roads by slowing down and making sure that your driving is smooth and gradual.

Where should you practise this?

Start out in country areas that have narrow sealed roads with no centreline and one-lane bridges. Once you are confident, move on to unsealed roads that are made up of just loose dirt or gravel.

Driving on sealed country roads

• Sealed roads without centrelines are often narrower and more winding than those with them. This means there’s a higher risk of having a head-on crash.
• Not having a centreline can also make it harder to judge where to position your car on the road.
• Drive as far to the left as you safely can. Remember that there can be loose gravel and ditches on the sides of country roads, so make sure you don’t drift off.

Driving on unsealed roads

• Make sure all your movements are smooth and gradual.
• Increase your following distance on unsealed roads. Other vehicles can throw up dust making it difficult to see.
• If a car comes towards you, slow down and drive as far to the left as you can. This reduces your dust cloud and makes it less likely that a loose stone will chip your windscreen.
• If you find yourself in deeper gravel, slow right down and slowly steer out. Gravel along the side of the road can be looser and deeper than that on the road.

Keep an eye on your surroundings

• Be careful of cyclists and pedestrians. There often aren’t any footpaths by country roads, so you need to be ready to share the road with them.
• Keep a look out for farm vehicles like quad bikes and tractors. You could even come across some animals!
• Watch out for intersections and driveways. These can often be hard to see on country roads.

More tips for driving on country roads

• Adjust your speed. If you’re driving on a road without a centreline, you need to be able to stop in half the distance of road you can see in front of you. So even though a lot of country roads are in 100km/h zones, it’s often not safe to drive that quickly.
• Slow down for bridges. Some of these are only one lane so you will need to be ready to give way.
• Be alert. Keep looking ahead as far as you can, and be ready to stop.