Adverse Conditions · Topic 2 of 3 · ~1 min read

Murram and Unpaved Roads

Road Classification and Road Users established that most of Kenya's network isn't tarmac. This lesson is about driving the rest of it. Murram and gravel don't behave like a worse version of tarmac — they behave differently, and the difference that matters most is predictability: on tarmac you can estimate your braking distance, and on loose surfaces you often can't. Add corrugation, potholes and the step at the road edge, and you have four hazards that reward technique and punish tarmac instincts.

1. 1. Loose Surfaces Don't Brake Like TarmacExplain why loose-surface braking is unpredictable rather than simply longer, and how wet murram differs from dry.
2. 2. Corrugation and VibrationDescribe what corrugation does to steering precision and apply the grip and speed response.
3. 3. Potholes: Slow Before, Not InApply the pothole rule — brake before, release inside — and explain why braking within a pothole risks control.
4. 4. The Edge Drop-OffExplain why dropping a wheel off the tarmac edge causes serious crashes, and apply the recovery without jerking the wheel.