Autostrade Alto Adriatico
Drive on motorways
In case of Rain
The term "hydroplaning" indicates the slipping of a vehicle on water on the road surfacing, due to rain or other reasons. A water "wedge" builds up before the tire that the grooves of the tire cannot "pump" sideways, and the tire suddenly loses traction. This phenomenon increases depending on the quantity of water on the road surfacing, the conditions of the tires and the vehicle's speed. It is made worse by low tire pressure or the fact that the vehicle is empty. In case of rain, drive carefully at moderate speed, avoid sudden accelerations, decelerations and swerving.
Water puddles can be particularly hazardous. Some road stretches may be "flooded": driving at high speed means losing control of your vehicle. Reduced traction also requires greater breaking distance, 20 to 80 percent more depending on the conditions of the road. In case of emergency braking and tire lock on a wet road, there are two serious risks: a longer braking distance to bring your vehicle to a stop, and the loss of control as the steering does not respond. Both result from lack of traction and can be overcome to some extent with ABS, but there are limits.
Water puddles can be particularly hazardous. Some road stretches may be "flooded": driving at high speed means losing control of your vehicle. Reduced traction also requires greater breaking distance, 20 to 80 percent more depending on the conditions of the road. In case of emergency braking and tire lock on a wet road, there are two serious risks: a longer braking distance to bring your vehicle to a stop, and the loss of control as the steering does not respond. Both result from lack of traction and can be overcome to some extent with ABS, but there are limits.
In case of Fog
Fog is air humidity condensed into tiny water drops. It is often found in flat areas, near water courses and in the absence of wind. In the air layer above the ground ‐ around 20 cm ‐ fog is much thinner or even disappears. It is here that the fog lamp light beam cuts through: for this reason fog lamps must be mounted low and project little light upwards. Unfortunately light tends to be absorbed and dispersed in fog (turning on your headlamps only generates a dangerous "light wall"), dampening colour contrast and differences and making objects less visible. For this reason, one should not rely too much on the front lamps: they do serve to improve visibility of the lines marking the side edge of the carriageway or the lane, but they might prove inadequate to perceive obstacles. Fog also makes it more difficult to guess the speed of the vehicles ahead.
Every year hundreds of fog‐related accidents take place, often resulting in huge pile‐ups or cars driving off the road, crashing against trees, poles, parapets or involved in head‐on collisions. In fog your safety depends both on what you do, and most importantly on what others do (and should not be doing). Some important tips: decrease your speed and make sure you are visible. Speed should be kept within the limits set by the law based on the visibility of objects that do not emit light.
You should be able to notice obstacles in time and to stop your vehicle safely. Remember that the Highway Code sets the speed limit in case of fog at 50 km/h on all Italian motorways. In fog, what matters is that others see you. Even in daylight, turn on your dim headlights and your fog lamps, if you have them. Turn on your rear fog lights.
Read the Variable Message Panels and follow indications with care, and comply with the speed limits indicated. Listen to the radio to receive updates and information.
Focus on the road and on your driving. If you drive for a long stretch in thick fog with no traffic, the eye ‐ in the absence of stimuli ‐ tends to focus on a "resting" distance of around three meters:
KEEP YOUR EYESIGHT FOCUSED FARTHER AHEAD.
Do not make the mistake of following the taillights of a car ahead if traveling at a speed that is higher than the recommended speed: you have no way of knowing with certainty that that driver can see better than you do.
Every year hundreds of fog‐related accidents take place, often resulting in huge pile‐ups or cars driving off the road, crashing against trees, poles, parapets or involved in head‐on collisions. In fog your safety depends both on what you do, and most importantly on what others do (and should not be doing). Some important tips: decrease your speed and make sure you are visible. Speed should be kept within the limits set by the law based on the visibility of objects that do not emit light.
You should be able to notice obstacles in time and to stop your vehicle safely. Remember that the Highway Code sets the speed limit in case of fog at 50 km/h on all Italian motorways. In fog, what matters is that others see you. Even in daylight, turn on your dim headlights and your fog lamps, if you have them. Turn on your rear fog lights.
Read the Variable Message Panels and follow indications with care, and comply with the speed limits indicated. Listen to the radio to receive updates and information.
Focus on the road and on your driving. If you drive for a long stretch in thick fog with no traffic, the eye ‐ in the absence of stimuli ‐ tends to focus on a "resting" distance of around three meters:
KEEP YOUR EYESIGHT FOCUSED FARTHER AHEAD.
Do not make the mistake of following the taillights of a car ahead if traveling at a speed that is higher than the recommended speed: you have no way of knowing with certainty that that driver can see better than you do.
In case of Accident
According to the Highway Code motorists should always help injured people in case of accidents and if you fail to do you will be fined.
If you help the injured in case of accident, you will not be arrested "in the act", that is on the accident site. According to the Criminal Code, the obligation to provide assistance concerns not only those involved in the accident in any way, but also passers‐by who note the presence of injured people after the event.
The "assistance" required by the law consists of several phases, each intended to provide help in order to save human lives or limit the damage.
On the site of the accident, these are the actions to perform:
If you help the injured in case of accident, you will not be arrested "in the act", that is on the accident site. According to the Criminal Code, the obligation to provide assistance concerns not only those involved in the accident in any way, but also passers‐by who note the presence of injured people after the event.
The "assistance" required by the law consists of several phases, each intended to provide help in order to save human lives or limit the damage.
On the site of the accident, these are the actions to perform:
- make the site of the accident "safe", signaling to incoming vehicles the presence of the accident and of the obstacle on the carriageway. To this end, there are many options available: park your vehicle safely before the site of the accident, turning on all your lights, positioning the warning triangle, etc, but remember not to put your life in danger at any time. Signaling the accident is important to prevent incoming vehicles from crashing into the vehicles involved in the accident and making other victims;
- "assess" the seriousness of the accident, determining the approximate number of the injured and the seriousness of the injuries. You are not expected to make professional evaluations or to assess if the victims are dead or alive. What matters is acquiring the elements to proceed to the next phase.
- "inform" emergency services and provide detailed information on the site of the accident, the type of vehicles involved, the number of injured people, the seriousness of their injuries, whether there are people trapped inside the vehicles. These elements are extremely important: based on your information the emergency operator will put together an "expected scenario" and determine how many ambulances to send over, which kind of medical personnel and equipment is required, and whether to call in the Fire Brigade. This phase is critical and should be carried out "in cold blood". Every detail you provide could make a difference.
- "Provide assistance", within the limits of your abilities and ensuring maximum caution. Some injuries require maneuvers and operations that are better left to specialists, others can be performed by no specialists too, but with great care, calm and an eye on the overall situation. In this phase, doing the wrong thing ‐ too much or too little ‐ may considerably worsen the situation.
"Assessing seriousness"
Seriousness refers to "life threatening" circumstances. Do not let the "quantity of blood" on the scene of the accident influence you: there are extremely serious internal injuries that do not bleed while other, less serious injuries ‐ like cuts to the face or the limbs ‐ are much more "visible", but not "serious".
In general, for the purpose of this assessment, a person can be considered "seriously injured" if:
Seriousness refers to "life threatening" circumstances. Do not let the "quantity of blood" on the scene of the accident influence you: there are extremely serious internal injuries that do not bleed while other, less serious injuries ‐ like cuts to the face or the limbs ‐ are much more "visible", but not "serious".
In general, for the purpose of this assessment, a person can be considered "seriously injured" if:
- he/she is unconscious;
- he/she was thrown out of the vehicle or off the motorbike;
- he/she hit the steering wheel or the dashboard violently without wearing a seat beat (the seriousness of the injury can be judged also by the damage to the vehicle);
- he/she is trapped under a heavy weight or pierced by an object (this should be told to the emergency operator);
- the position of his/her trunk or head is so unnatural as to suspect spinal damage;
- in case of a child, even if none of the above apply, he/she is haemorrhaging considerably.
On the other hand, "minor" or "moderate" injuries include the following:
- abrasions, excoriations, bruises, cuts;
- broken nose, teeth, fingers.
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