Risks when driving on uneven road surfaces

 

Many roads in the Philippines are in a perpetual state of being patchy and bumpy. This is often a result of subsidence when the road is built on a marshy area, or when the road builders scrimped on the materials — as many Filipinos know is the case - however, there are many causes for tarmac degradation which can also include cracking and compression due to heavy vehicle traffic, and floodwaters carrying debris that scours the surface or washes away the substrate material.

On uneven road surfaces, vehicle drivers must be attentive. Potholes and bumps may cause load on trucks to shift, make motorcycles go out of balance, and cause damage to your car.

In extreme cases, road bumps can cause your suspension to use up its maximum travel, and that can result to vehicle damage. A bump means also a dip, and this can make it hard for your vehicle to hold a steady line because you’ll have less tire grip with your jerking suspensions trying to follow the road; this is quite a danger especially when the road is slippery as it could cause you to oversteer or understeer the vehicle.

Bumps in the middle of a corner can cause understeer or oversteer depending on the severity of the bump, the angle of the corner, the camber on the road, and the vehicle’s characteristics. A heavy compression on the front tires coupled with a dip on the rear tyres means more weight is put through the steering at the front, but there’s less weight on the tyres at the back, and this could (in an extreme case) cause oversteer, i.e. the rear of the car to slide towards the outside of the curve.

The opposite happens if the front end is light. This can happen just after a bump, before gravity brings the full weight of the car back down on its suspension.

This scenario is mostly eliminated if you have good quality suspension.

Be aware that both of these scenarios would only happen if you’re speeding on bumpy roads.

Motorcyclists

When riding on an uneven road surface motorcyclists should take extra care. Keep your arms slightly bent, sit properly, and firmly set your feet on the footrests. Relax and keep your head up; don’t try to fight it but let the motorcycle move underneath you instead. If you carry passengers with you, tell them to hold on tight, and brake always using the front brake first and the rear brake second.