Traveling To Remote Areas; Getting Familiar With Off-Road Driving; Driving Off-Road - Cadillac Escalade Owner's Manual

AKENG44_Escalade Page 255 Wednesday, July 16, 2008 12:22 PM

Traveling to Remote Areas

It makes sense to plan your trip,
especially when going to a remote
area. Know the terrain and plan
your route. You are much less
likely to get bad surprises. Get
accurate maps of trails and terrain.
Try to learn of any blocked or
closed roads.
It's also a good idea to travel
with at least one other vehicle. If
something happens to one of
them, the other can help quickly.
Does you vehicle have a winch? If
so, be sure to read the winch
instructions. In a remote area, a
winch can be handy if you get
stuck, however you'll want to
know how to use it properly.
Getting Familiar with
Off-Road Driving
It's a good idea to practice in an
area that's safe and close to home
before you go into the wilderness.
Off-road driving does require
some new and different driving
skills. Here's what we mean:
• Tune your senses to different
kinds of signals. Your eyes, for
example, need to constantly
sweep the terrain for unex-
pected obstacles. Your ears
need to listen for unusual tire
or engine sounds. With your
arms, hands, feet and body,
you'll need to respond to
vibrations and vehicle bounce.
Section 3

Driving Off-Road

Controlling your vehicle is the key
to successful off-road driving. One
of the best ways to control your
vehicle is to control your speed.
Here are some things to keep in
mind. At higher speeds:
• you approach things faster and
you have less time to scan the
terrain for obstacles.
• you have less time to react.
• you have more vehicle bounce
when you drive over obstacles.
• you'll need more distance for
braking, especially since you're
on an unpaved surface.
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