Core: Cornering: centrifugal force and reading the bend

Centrifugal force pushes you towards the outside of the bend; it becomes stronger as the radius of the bend gets smaller and as your speed gets higher (Book p.68). The relationship with speed is quadratic: double the speed, and the force quadruples. Danger in a bend increases with three things at once: if the bend is sharp, when several bends follow each other closely, and when sight through the bend is obstructed, for example by trees. A warning sign often alerts you to such a bend beforehand — but watch out: some bends curve increasingly sharply inward, so your first assessment on entry can become outdated (Book p.67). Safely through a bend: assess the course of the bend in good time, choose the right gear and adapt your speed, judge the carriageway width, the state of the road surface and the camber, stay alert to oncoming traffic but also to slow vehicles ahead, and take account of your vehicle's handling characteristics, for example if you are heavily loaded (Book p.68). That camber works both ways: with positive camber the outer bend lies higher than the inner bend — that helps you hold the bend. With negative camber the risk of flying off the bend is greater (Book p.68).