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I f 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 your brakes on a steep
downhill slope.
I
e
something
i n
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.
I
Coasting downkill
in
NEUTRAL
(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 b r u g or even none going down
a
h i l l .
You
could crash. Always have your engine
running
and your vehicle in gear when you go downhill.
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
OF
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
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