Driving tips to help you navigate the I-4 Ultimate Project

ORLANDO, Fla. - Driving on I-4 with all the construction can be challenging, so FOX 35 News went to the experts for advice.

It can feel like a test track, with uneven pavement, sudden lane changes and cones in the road, but there is no redo on the I-4 Ultimate Project.  

"You’ve gotta know where you’re going and you need to research your routes ahead of time," said Bonnie Frank, with the United Safety Council.

She explained to FOX 35 what to do as her coworker, Laura, drove.

As we wait at a red light, heading to I-4:

Laura: "Oh my goodness!"
Bonnie: "Oh, there you are and we’re getting footage of that."

It's a grey truck driving on the median to beat traffic.

Bonnie says, "That’s absolutely impatient."

And it takes even more patience just to get onto the highway.

"Most people have no clue how to merge," Bonnie said. "You’ve got the people that go very slow and kinda creep in and that’s dangerous. Or, you’ve got the one that goes up to 100 mph and just cuts you off. Both are equally dangerous so you’ve gotta be paying attention."

Once you’ve made it safely onto a lane, watch for those distracted drivers.

"On their cellphones and, honestly, they’re not paying attention," Bonnie said. "And they suddenly decide like this person here, 'Hey I gotta get over' without really indicating or looking."

Bonnie says you can predict what some will do just by watching. 

"This person here is kinda wobbling back and forth," she said. "You gonna assume they’re gonna cut over just like that, so you’re gonna take your foot off your gas. Don’t necessarily have to brake. Slowing yourself down and giving yourself that space is what’s needed."

Bonnie says you should have enough space in front of you to avoid a crash with another car.

As a guideline, she says to look at the bottoms of the tires in front of you and then you know you have enough space.

"You’re continually keeping that space. You’re always adjusting it. Because the minute you have it adjusted, someone else fills it up. Like this guy," she said.

And you’ll also need plenty of room if this happens: "Sometimes equipment drops or a driver might hit a cone and splatter that across the road, so you’re constantly looking for debris as well. If you’re back here and that thing drops, you’ve got enough space to swerve around it or come to a stop."

And when your ride suddenly gets shaky because of uneven pavement, she said, "You want to have that uneven part kinda to the center of the car as much as possible or if it’s a really bad lane where it’s distinctly elevated, maybe you want to move to another lane."

Concrete walls with no shoulders can be intimidating, especially as the road gets narrow.

"Can be a little nerve-racking, especially if you have people close to the wall and people close to the left of you. The thing you can do in a situation where you might feel closed in is just simply to slow it down and give yourself that space. People behind you may not be happy about it, but they can go around you."

Be careful of blind spots on I-4 as traffic backs up due to construction.

Bonnie says, "All of a sudden you come to a dead stop over a hill like this and everything’s a dead stop."

She recommends looking ahead of your car so you can plan for stops like that.

"You can’t panic in a situation," Bonnie said.

It's better to be safe than sorry.