Six Mountain Driving tips for road trip lovers: Trips in the mountains are best enjoyed when driving through the hilly land while absorbing every inch of the sublime beauty of nature. Road trips, both planned and spontaneous, are always full of fun. The joy of appreciating the scenic beauty, laughing and singing through your favorite melodies with your loved ones as you drive up is unmatched.
However, driving in the mountains is not for just anyone. It needs certain characteristic to safely drive around and enjoy on the winding roads in the mountains.
Here are some driving tips to ensure your road trip in the hills is nothing short of memorable:
Six Mountain Driving tips for road trip lovers:
Maintain Your Vehicle in Good Condition
Difficult terrain, unexpected events, and adverse weather changes can put a strain on the car while driving through the mountainous land. It is pertinent that you pay attention to your car before you take it for a road trip.
You can start with checking that your vehicle’s brake and transmission fluids are filled. You must make it a point to ensure that the brakes, heating and cooling, battery, and wipers at the windshield are all in order. Also, you must ensure that the tyres are well inflated, and you have an extra standby in the car.
Fuel Adequately
You must take care that your fuel tank is well filled. Many people don’t realize the fact that climbing uphill on steep terrain can end up consuming more fuel than a normal drive.
Moreover, spotting fuel stations in case of emergency in mountainous areas is not particularly easy. You also need to remember that while driving up a mountain, drivers tend to have little visibility ahead.
In this scenario, remaining stranded at a halt due to running out on fuel could put you at the risk of getting stuck for a good length of time.
Follow the Driving Convention of the Mountains
It’s important that you are careful enough to follow all the right conventions while driving on mountains. While driving in the mountains, you need to pay extra attention to the breaking, overtaking, parking, and everything else on the road.
- Breaking
“Don’t press the clutch.” This is the most capable factor to lead your vehicle to eventual destruction on a hill road. The idea is not to let your wheels stall, and slip.
Unless your car has an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), you need to ensure that your wheels are always geared in, so far as your car is moving.
- Parking
Parking is another challenge in the mountains as often you will need to park on slopes. Best is to lock in the gear along with the handbrakes to avoid the car from moving due to the slope of the land.
- Overtaking
Overtaking on a hill road is the most challenging task. Due to twists and blind turns, you won’t see the vehicle coming from the other side. Thus, the best approach is to let the vehicle on the front know that you are about to overtake. This way either they will give you a clear signal using the indicator to overtake or will roll to the left so that you can pass.
And, you are supposed to do the same.
- Turning
At turns, you must press the horns to warn vehicles coming from another side. At all times, you must stick to your lane while driving since the roads are already quite narrow.
- Narrow Roads & Bridges
Lastly, you must follow the “you first policy.” That is to allow the vehicle in front of you to pass if you’re at a bridge or a narrow road meant only for a single vehicle.
Using Head-Lamps
When driving during lack of daylight during dusk, dawn, rains or fog, you must make it a point to use your headlights. Whenever you’re in doubt, it always makes sense to use them so that you’re as visible as possible to the traffic both in front and behind of you. Mountains can have steep turns, and in the event of the car behind or before not noticing you, collisions are more likely.
Be alert of changing the weather
The weather in the mountains changes faster than you realize with increasing altitude. Some passes can bring you up by a significant quantum of height within a very short distance. Hence, it’s a must that you remain alert while driving.
After a height, fog could turn out to be an issue as you reach the valley. Your visibility of the way ahead could change within moments. The weather could suddenly go inclement.
If you’re not alert, even a small moment of distraction can get your car to drift and end up in a collision. In fact, as you appreciate the changing scenic beauty around, you must be careful to only halt at the designated roadside pullouts to avoid accidents.
Store Basic Supplies
If you find yourself stranded on your road trip in the mountains, it will be hard to gain access to the comforts of normal roadways. You can land up in isolation to be left bereft of any human in the vicinity. In fact, getting network on your mobile phone can also turn into a question mark.
To ensure that you’re equipped to handle a situation like this, it’s good to always carry a decent supply of food, water, and first aid tools. Additionally, you must also carry basic car repair equipment, such as tools needed to change a tyre.
Use Insurance
While you are driving safe and with all needed caution, mountains are still unpredictable and overbearing. Motor insurance not only covers your repair costs after damage, but it also offers you roadside assistance.
Road Side Assistance (RSA) in motor insurance policies can be especially useful in the mountains. Benefits like arranging emergency fuel and puncture repair services can help you in situations where you have stuck away from any civilization.
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