Driving On Off-Road Hills; Approaching A Hill - Chevrolet 2004 Colorado Owner's Manual

When you drive over obstacles or rough terrain, keep
a firm grip on the steering wheel. Ruts, troughs or other
surface features can jerk the wheel out of your hands
if you are not prepared.
When you drive over bumps, rocks, or other obstacles,
your wheels can leave the ground. If this happens,
even with one or two wheels, you can not control the
vehicle as well or at all.
Because you will be on an unpaved surface, it is
especially important to avoid sudden acceleration,
sudden turns or sudden braking.
In a way, off-road driving requires a different kind of
alertness from driving on paved roads and highways.
There are no road signs, posted speed limits or
signal lights. You have to use your own good judgment
about what is safe and what is not.
Drinking and driving can be very dangerous on any
road. And this is certainly true for off-road driving.
At the very time you need special alertness and driving
skills, your reflexes, perceptions and judgment can
be affected by even a small amount of alcohol.
You could have a serious — or even fatal — accident
if you drink and drive or ride with a driver who has
been drinking. See Drunken Driving on page 4-2.
4-18

Driving on Off-Road Hills

Off-road driving often takes you up, down or across a hill.
Driving safely on hills requires good judgment and an
understanding of what your vehicle can and ca not do.
There are some hills that simply can not be driven, no
matter how well built the vehicle.
CAUTION:
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Many hills are simply too steep for any
vehicle. If you drive up them, you will stall.
If you drive down them, you can not control
your speed. If you drive across them, you
will roll over. You could be seriously injured
or killed. If you have any doubt about the
steepness, do not drive the hill.

Approaching a Hill

When you approach a hill, you need to decide if it is
one of those hills that is just too steep to climb,
descend or cross. Steepness can be hard to judge.
On a very small hill, for example, there may be a
smooth, constant incline with only a small change in
elevation where you can easily see all the way to the top.