Road RankBraking and acceleration get most of the attention, but how you take corners says just as much about your driving. Road Rank counts sharp turns in every drive and shows them in the breakdown, so you can see where you take bends faster than you need to.
What counts as a sharp turn
A sharp turn is a change of direction taken at a speed that pushes everyone in the car sideways. Your phone’s motion sensors feel that sideways force, and Road Rank logs it as an event. A slow, steady turn at a junction does not count. Swinging into a side road at speed, or tightening your line halfway round a roundabout, often does.
Sharp turns are shown in your breakdown so you can work on them. Hard braking and quick acceleration are the events that cost points, but corners and braking are closely linked: drivers who arrive at a bend too fast usually brake late, then turn hard.
Why smooth cornering matters
- Grip. Tyres have a limited amount of grip to share between braking, accelerating and turning. Asking for all three at once is how cars slide, especially in the wet.
- Comfort. Passengers feel sideways force more than anything else. Smooth corners are the difference between a relaxed ride and a car-sick one.
- Wear. Fast cornering scrubs the edges of your tyres and loads the suspension.
- Time. A sharp turn rarely saves more than a second or two.
The slow in, smooth out rule
The simplest cornering habit is to do your slowing down before the turn, not during it.
- Look through the bend early. See how tight it is and what is coming.
- Brake in a straight line. Get down to a comfortable speed before you start turning.
- Turn the wheel smoothly. One steady input is better than several small corrections.
- Hold a light, steady throttle. It keeps the car balanced.
- Unwind the wheel as you accelerate out. Add speed only as the road straightens.
Junctions and roundabouts
Most sharp turns on a commute happen at junctions, not on country bends. Give yourself more time when turning across traffic so you are not forced to rush the turn. On roundabouts, pick your lane early and keep a steady speed instead of braking and turning at the same moment.
Check your phone mount
A phone that slides around a cup holder or flies across the seat can register movement that has nothing to do with your driving. A secure mount gives cleaner readings. See our guide to phone GPS accuracy for more.
Track it over time
Open a few recent trips and compare the sharp-turn counts on routes you drive often. If one junction keeps showing up, that is the place to slow earlier. Small changes on a daily route add up quickly, and you will see them in your trend.