A. Uneven road surface ahead
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What does this sign mean?
A. Uneven road surface ahead
B. Road bump ahead
C. Road dip ahead
D. Slippery road ahead
Some roads are in a constant state of being uneven. This is often due to subsidence when a road is built on a marshy area or next to a river or stream. When it gets too bad road workers come in and patch up the road.
With uneven and bumpy road surfaces truck drivers must pay special attention as the bumps can cause loads to shift. Motorcyclists can also be unsteadied by the bumps.
In severe cases the bumps can use up the maximum travel of your suspension which could cause damage to your vehicle, or could bump you off the road. Of course, if there's a bump there must be a corresponding dip and vice versa. You will have less grip in the dips because of your forward momentum as your suspension tries to make the wheel follow the road. Around corners this can make it more difficult to hold a steady line and, if the road is slippery, could cause you to either understeer or oversteer.
When turning, understeer can be caused if the front of the vehicle is bounced and therefore has less weight over it; oversteer can be caused by a bounce that makes the back of the vehicle light while a compression at the front increases the grip.
Both of these scenarios will only happen if you are driving too fast for the conditions.
Motorcyclists carrying pillion passengers should take extra care on bumpy roads and tell your passenger to hold on. When riding on a bumpy surface feet should be firm on the footrests, keep your arms bent slightly, look straight ahead and stay seated in the correct position. Keep your head up, relax and let the bike move underneath you a little rather than fighting it, ride in the left wheel track if there is one, and brake using the front brake first, then the rear brake.