The purpose of the SOFT SHOULDERS sign is to warn drivers of a potential hazard that they would encounter if their vehicles were to leave the roadway.
Road surfaces are critical to observe especially when the surfaces change drastically.
Pavement to loose gravel is a huge change.
Car direction and steering will be very very different here, as will braking.
Even more challenging is when your two right wheels are on the loose gravel while your two left wheels remain on the pavement. Even more dangerous is when one wheel is off onto the gravel and three are on the pavement.
Hang on! The car will start to change directions and pull on your steering.
The car may start to rotate off your straight path.
BRAKING HARD may cause a far more aggressive rotation of your car, possibly sending it out of control.
Cars can even flip here.
ANSWER
Respect the superpower of Force = Velocity x Mass.
Your car wants to go forward and straight following the incredible momentum on the vector forward.
Your job is to carefully balance the rotation, to keep the car flat, with steering wheels in the direction of the momentum, regardless of the rotation.
Not easy if it’s your first time! (experience)
Your eyes must look far ahead at your intended path, into the original momentum line!
No matter, the momentum is king here. Respect it and do everything to keep the car going in that original momentum direction.
Oppose this force and you may end up on your roof, spinning around, barrel rolling or smashing into something ahead of you, in the general pathway of your original momentum direction.
This can be very dangerous. Very!
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