If
you drive regularly in steep country, or if you’re
planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid
levels and also the brakes, tires, cooling system
and transaxle. These parts can work hard on
mountain roads.
Know how to go down hills. The most important
thing to know is this: let your engine do some
of
the
slowing down. Shift to a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill.
If
you don’t shift down, your brakes could get
so
hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would then
have
poor
braking
or
even none going down
a
hill.
You could crash. Shift down to let your engine
assist
vour brakes on a steep downhill slope.
Coasting downhill in
Ir
UTRAL
(N)
or
with the
ignition
off
is
dangerous. Your brakes will have to
do
all
the work
of
slowing
down.
They could get
so
hot that they wouldn’t work well.
You
would then
have poor braking or even none going down
a
hill.
You could crash. Always have your engine running
and your vehicle in gear when you go downhill.
e
e
0
e
Know
how to go uphill. You may want to shift down
to a lower gear. The lower gears help cool your engine
and transaxle, and you can climb the
hill
better.
Stay in your own lane when driving on two-lane
roads in hills
or
mountains. Don’t swing wide or cut
across the center
of
the road. Drive at speeds that let
you stay in your own lane.
As
you
go over the top
of
a
hill,
be alert. There could be
something
in
your lane, like
a
stalled car or
an
accident.
You may see highway signs on mountains that warn of
special problems. Examples
are
long grades, passing
or
no-passing zones,
a
falling rocks area or winding
roads. Be alert to these and take appropriate action.
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