Safe driving in country areas calls for skills that can only come with long experience. As with any new challenge, approach the task with caution if you want to avoid injury to yourself or your passengers, and damage to your car. Keep your speed down to a sensible level until you are confident you can predict how your car will handle on the full range of rural road surfaces. Until then, manoeuvres such as cornering and overtaking are particularly hazardous. Fatigue
Fatigue, especially on long country trips, is a major cause of accidents. Fatigue is particularly dangerous because it decreases the ability to judge your own level of tiredness. Minimise the risks by driving for no more than two hours at a stretch before taking a break. Signs of fatigue include drowsiness, yawning, tired eyes, aches and cramps, and loss of concentration. If you experience any of these symptoms, do not drive on. If possible, change drivers; otherwise, pull off the road, park in a safe spot and take a break of at least 15 minutes. Walk around, have a hot drink or take a nap — 10 minutes is usually enough to revive you. Before setting off on a long trip, avoid heavy meals and alcohol. Make sure you eat a light meal, however, since hunger can make concentration difficult. Get plenty of sleep the night before so that you feel rested and alert. Gravel Roads
Two of the main problems associated with gravel roads are longer stopping distances and instability caused by rough surfaces. Depending on how loose the surface is, stopping distances can be doubled on gravel. A car travelling at 50 km/h may come to a halt in 25 m on a good, tarmac surface, but on a loose surface it may take 40 or 50 m to stop. Reduce speed gradually on gravel, and do not brake suddenly. Contrary to popular belief, travelling very fast on a corrugated gravel road does not lessen vibration. Instead, it tends to make the vehicle unstable, increasing the risk of a skid. To travel safely, drive at a moderate pace, slower than you would on any similar stretch of sealed road. Dust
Dust is a common problem on outback roads, and in some places it can be deep enough to conceal large potholes. Keep your speed down in such circumstances. A more serious problem, however, is the dust raised by other vehicles. Often it is difficult to judge the distance you can see ahead, and therefore how fast you should be travelling, bearing in mind that you may need to brake suddenly. A glance out of a side window should give you an indication of visibility: roadside posts are usually only a few metres away, so if they are partly obscured then the view ahead will probably be very limited. Adjust your speed accordingly. | 
