Getting Familiar With Off-Road Driving; Scanning The Terrain; Surface Conditions - Chevrolet 2010 Tahoe Owner's Manual

It is a good idea to practice in an area that is safe and
close to home before you go into the wilderness.
Off-roading requires some new and different skills.
Tune your senses to different kinds of signals. Your
eyes need to constantly sweep the terrain for
unexpected obstacles. Your ears need to listen for
unusual tire or engine sounds. Use your arms, hands,
feet, and body to respond to vibrations and vehicle
bounce.
Controlling the vehicle is the key to successful off-road
driving. One of the best ways to control the vehicle is to
control the speed. At higher speeds:
You approach things faster and have less time to
react.
There is less time to scan the terrain for obstacles.
The vehicle has more bounce when driving over
obstacles.
More braking distance is needed, especially on an
unpaved surface.
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When you are driving off-road, bouncing and
quick changes in direction can easily throw you
out of position. This could cause you to lose
control and crash. So, whether you are driving on
or off the road, you and your passengers should
wear safety belts.
Off-road driving can take you over many different kinds
of terrain. Be familiar with the terrain and its many
different features.
Off-roading surfaces can be
hard-packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass, sand, mud, snow,
or ice. Each of these surfaces affects the vehicle's
steering, acceleration, and braking in different ways.
Depending on the surface, slipping, sliding, wheel
spinning, delayed acceleration, poor traction, and longer
braking distances can occur.