4-21Driving on Off-Road HillsOff - road driving often takes you up, down or acrossa hill. Driving safely on hills requires good judgmentand an understanding of what your vehicle can andcan’t do. There are some hills that simply can’t bedriven, no matter how well built the vehicle.CAUTION:Many hills are simply too steep for any vehicle.If you drive up them, you will stall. If you drivedown them, you can’t control your speed. If youdrive across them, you will roll over. You could beseriously injured or killed. If you have any doubtabout the steepness, don’t drive the hill.Approaching a HillWhen you approach a hill, you need to decide if it’s oneof those hills that’s just too steep to climb, descend orcross. Steepness can be hard to judge. On a very smallhill, for example, there may be a smooth, constantincline with only a small change in elevation where youcan easily see all the way to the top. On a large hill, theincline may get steeper as you near the top, but youmay not see this because the crest of the hill is hiddenby bushes, grass or shrubs.Here are some other things to consider as you approach a hill. Is there a constant incline, or does the hill getsharply steeper in places? Is there good traction on the hillside, or will thesurface cause tire slipping? Is there a straight path up or down the hill so youwon’t have to make turning maneuvers? Are there obstructions on the hill that can block yourpath (boulders, trees, logs or ruts)? What’s beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, an embankment,a drop-off, a fence? Get out and walk the hill if youdon’t know. It’s the smart way to find out. Is the hill simply too rough? Steep hills often haveruts, gullies, troughs and exposed rocks because theyare more susceptible to the effects of erosion.
