Driving in hilly areas is obviously not as easy as driving on plains. You need to know a few things about direction and safety before embarking on hill trips with your car. The safety driving tips mentioned below will help you drive safely toward your destination.
If not done carefully, driving on hills can be really dangerous for some drivers. This skill requires enough knowledge of the prevailing and future conditions, both in terms of road and weather. Many of these conditions keep changing with altitude, which always makes this an adventurous drive. Remember that you can never be 100% prepared on such drives, but you can certainly put your best foot forward. So, here are some important driving tips that you should follow while driving in hilly areas.
6 Safe Driving Tips for The Hills
1. Carry Food and Medicines
These things are very important while you are driving because there will hardly be any medical shops or restaurants, especially when outside the main cities. Therefore, it is always a good idea to
carry r food and medicines in advance and make your journey safe and happy.
2. Don’t Drink and Drive
Don’t be reckless and over-confident about driving in hilly areas after drinking since can land you up in big trouble. Apart from getting caught by cops, losing control of the hills during turns can be fatal. Be a responsible citizen and avoid drinking before driving as you may be responsible for others’ lives too.
3. Get Loaded with Local Knowledge
Gather enough knowledge about the place you are traveling, which will help negotiate the self-driven vehicle. Check the weather and terrain conditions on the entire route. Keep yourself updated with basic vehicle knowledge, in the form of changing tires.
4. Speed Control
When you are nearing a hilly slope, remember to slow down. Regulate the speed and use engine braking to slow down without much difficulty, which is helpful for other vehicles around corners. When your view is blocked by a cave or a hill, pass through it when the clearance is good.
5. The Do’s and Don’ts
- Use the brake and accelerator correctly to maintain momentum on a slope
- When you are driving keep in mind that the engine should not go into very low revs as it can lead to engine knocking, which is harmful to the vehicle. Alternately, let the momentum take you right through the tunnel.
- Drive carefully in icy or wet places as there can be wheel spins, which will be even more when you try to accelerate hard. Do not give hard throttle pushes. If you are at a higher gear, be steady, and do not forget to run your engine for at least 10 minutes. Also, be wary of black ice on roads in the hills since it makes tires lose grip. Either get special tires or use snow chains for snowy conditions.
6. Be More Careful During Downpour
During a downpour, visibility becomes very low, sometimes for as little a distance as 25 meters. Move slowly on rocky or rough roads, especially during the rains, and avoiding heavy rain on the mountains is advisable as it may lead to a landslide at times. Always use the windshield wipers.
Remember that after driving through soggy paths for some time brakes become less efficacious. So retain that extra distance between your car and the other ones driving on the road.
