Top 10 Hill Driving Techniques

Top 10 Hill Driving Techniques

(Especially applicable to the Indian Ghat sections)

The driving etiquette of the hills is to always give preference to upcoming vehicles.

1.     Precautions to be taken for both the vehicle & the driver before  going on a hill trip.

o   Always check the vehicle’s brakes before on going on hill journey.

o   Check your vehicle for overheating issues and if present make sure that you get your radiator overhauled.

o   Check your vehicle’s electricals and if there is an issue, ensure that it is sorted out. (Cars/SUV’s equipped with electric fan and its circuit).

o   Remember to change your wiper blades before starting. (Old wiper blades, which turn hard with time, can cause smudge marks or scratches, thereby reducing visibility- a priority in hill driving).

o   See to it that your vehicle is equipped with good footwear (Tyres with good buttons).

o   Take good rest before starting on a journey.

o   In case you feel sleepy on the way, stop for a short nap to refresh yourself.

o   Take a break after every 1 ½  hours to 2 hours  of continuous driving. If drowsy have a cup of tea.

o   Stretch yours arms and legs while taking a break.

o   Know both your vehicles strength, and your strength and capabilities, before starting on a journey. Do not push your vehicle or yourself beyond that point.

o   In case you find yourself frequently yawning, it either signifies fatigue or an excessive buildup of Carbon Monoxide. In case of the later, open your windows and let fresh air in for 10 minutes. If you still continue to yawn, stop your vehicle immediately.

2.     When you are starting your climb always go in a steady speed and preferably use the 2^nd or 3^rd gear depending on the slope.

3.     Remember to always follow the hill rule of giving way to vehicles which are climbing uphill. People who drive on the hills regularly always follow this rule. (If a vehicle stops with the intention to let you pass, give a honk- it means ‘thank you’ in hill driving language)

4.     Try to avoid using the A/C while climbing uphill. This prevents overheating issues & additional power is also available from the engine for climbing. (You further benefit from the fresh mountain air).

5.     When you stop your vehicle while climbing always use the handbrake. Remember to put your vehicle on some gear if you are shutting down the engine especially if it is manual transmission. Keep a stone or a wooden block behind the rear tyre, which prevents the vehicle from moving backwards. (For Auto transmission put it in park mode).

6.     If you discover a burnt smell (the first sign of overheating), stop your vehicle immediately & pull over to the corner. Do not shut down the engine on any account. Just keep the engine running a little above idling speed and wait till the engine cools down. Wait till the temperature is within normal operating range before shutting down.

7.     In case your vehicle is boiling (if you see steam coming out of your vehicle), stop your vehicle & pull over to the corner of the road. Do not open the radiator cap immediately. Wait for the engine to cool down first. Hold a thick cloth in your hand & open the cap slowly. Do not open the cap immediately or take away your hand from it. Press down the cap tightly with your hand & slowly remove the excess pressure & steam from the system. Only after making sure that all the steam is gone, open the cap completely. Top up the water in the radiator as required.

8.     Always maintain a steady rhythm while driving. Do not make abrupt changes in direction or speed by sudden slowing, braking or accelerating. Keep to the left in countries where keep to the left rule is followed & never overspeed while climbing. The trick to hill driving is smooth driving. (Rash driving in the hills is also a contributing factor in motion sickness (vomiting). Sucking on a toffee or chewing on a piece of gum will provide some relief).

9.     Always honk while approaching a corner which warns the driver coming in the opposite direction.

10.   Get your vehicle fitted with real fog lamps (Dark yellow coloured ones).The idea behind using these specially coloured lights, is that it will penetrate the fog in the mountains. Ordinary lights which the manufacturers provide in their cars will not penetrate the fog.

(Remember in the mountains, if the temperature is right & if it starts raining fog will appear immediately)

Down hill driving:

1.     While coming down the hill always use the 2^nd gear for coming down. Even if it is too slow it does not matter. You will be using engine braking rather than regular brakes .Continuous usage of brakes will lead to overheating of the brakes.

(Remember safety of family comes first).

2.     Do not drive with your leg on the brakes all the time. This will lead to overheating of brakes and can lead to brake failure.

(Example: The Kalhatti Ghat section between Ooty and Mudumalai Wild Life Sanctuary is very steep. A police man is always seen standing there and warning all passing vehicles to use only the 2^nd gear while climbing down, but many do not follow it. This results in quite a lot of accidents happening in this section with brake failures being the main reason).

Bon Voyage! Enjoy your sojourn in the hills and be sure to leave your comments in the box below.

Top 10 Things to Check in your Car/SUV before you Start on a Road Trip.

Top 10 Things to Check in your Car/SUV before you Start on a Road Trip.

Before you start on a road trip it is always better that your motto should be to reach your destination safely rather than how fast you were able to make it.

With that out of the way, here are the top 10 things that require mandatory checking before you start:

1. General Condition: It is advisable to get your car serviced before you start on a journey. See that the service centre changes your engine oil, filters, air filters, fuel filters, spark plugs, etc.

Note: While water washing the engine compartment, do not use excess of water spray. New age vehicles include a lot of electrical wirings, and any excess water getting into it can cause unnecessary headaches in the midst of the journey.

2. Fan Belt: Change your fan belt if your car has done more than 20,000kms. This is a precaution worth its while. Also check your idlers for noise & roughness. If you feel that it is rough, change it.

Note: In the earlier generation cars, the engines were fitted in the North South direction (some of the present day SUV’s still follow this practise), and for such cars changing fan belt is easy. But present day cars including hatchbacks and most of the sedans (except Merc’s & BMW’s) use East West mounting of the engine (mounted along the width of the car). Hence changing belts in the middle of the highway can pose to be a difficulty. You can always keep the old belts as spare in your dickey.

3. Headlight Bulbs: The standard bulbs issued by most of the manufacturers are 55/60 watts bulb. Majority of us (90%) change it to a 90/100 watts bulb. This puts extra load on the battery / alternator etc. Most of the factory fitted bulb holders are made of plastic & this will melt over a period of time. Check if there is any damage to the bulb holder & change it to ceramic holders if it is damaged. It is always advisable to carry a spare set of bulbs in case of an emergency.

4. Tyres and tubes: The most ignored part of our car is the tyres. Actually tyres play an important part in the car as it gives traction and grip while accelerating, cruising and braking. Many of us think that if we can see the buttons on the tyres they are okay to drive.

Note: The tyres are normally good for 5 years from the date of manufacture. After that, if you observe carefully, you can spot minor cracks on the side wall. It does not matter even if your car has done minimal mileage leaving lots of buttons on the tyres. It is both advisable and safe to change your tyres. If your tyre is of the tubeless variety check for the trueness or wobble of the rim and for rusting. If you find any defect as mentioned, use tubes inside your tyre. If your tyre is of the tube type make sure you change your front tyre tube if it is more than 2 years old & always go for Butyl Tubes.

While changing tyres may burn a hole in your pocket, I always suggest a change of tyres in the interest of safety. This is because many of us drive above 100km/hr in 4 lane highways. Chances of blowout are more if it is an old tyre.

5. Wipers:  Always change your wiper blades if it is more than 1 year old, even if it looks good on the outside. Older blades generally get harder with age and can rub your glass harder and scratch it. New ones will be softer & provide much better cleaning of your windshield.

6. Brakes: Always check your brakes before you start on a journey. This is even more important if you are planning a journey to a hill station.

Listed below are a few conditions that indicate that your brakes are not fine.

a.     Hard brakes: Check your Brake booster if your car is equipped with one (or) check your wheel cylinder pistons which will be slow to move within the wheel cylinder. If is so, change your wheel cylinders in the rear. For front brakes overhaul the calliper kit assembly.

b.     Brake pedal going deep inside: Check your master cylinder and if found defective, change it.

c.      Vehicle taking more time to stop: If all the systems are fine and still the vehicle is taking more time to stop, the possible cause might be glazed brakes. In that case changes the brake shoes in the rear & brake pads for the front discs.

d.     Spongy brakes: Bleed the system & if it still doesn’t improve, flush the oil and put in new oil.

e.     Vehicle pulling to one side: When you hit the brakes if it pulls to one side check front brake hose for blockage & jammed front brakes. change if necessary.

 7.  Wheel Alignment:  Check your wheel alignment and get it aligned by a proper garage. Also balance all your wheels.

 Note: When you’re going on long journey, if do not align the wheels properly it can cause rapid chewing of your tyres. As far as balancing is concerned if is not balanced properly you will experience vibration in your steering wheel above 80 km/hr.

 8. Checking the Ball Joints:  Put your car in ramp or jack and move your wheels to and fro. If there is a side shake check your tie rod ends. If there is an up and down shake check your wheel bearing. If you hear a cut cut noise when you go over pot holes check your lower ball joint & anti roll bar bush.

9. Air:   If the distance covered is large please add an extra 2 pounds of air in your tyres.  This will prevent your tyres from getting punctured easily.

10. Batteries & Alternator:  In the past batteries used to come in hard rubber (Black containers) & they used to be heavy. The present generation batteries are normally called PP Batteries which stand for Plastic container batteries. Present generation batteries are use & throw variety and they cannot be repaired. Normally a good battery will last for 2 to 3 years. Check for voltage. It should not drop less than 10 volts when you are cranking the engine. Also check for swelling of the battery. If you find any of the symptoms, change the batteries.

Also check your charging system. Switch on electrical loads in the car & check the battery voltage when the engine is running .It should not drop below 13 volts when idling and not more than 14 volts when the engine is running on full RPM . When it shows low reading it will discharge your battery & going more will damage your battery. If you find any defect overhaul you alternator.

Bonus points:

a. Take all the documents of your vehicle & your license.

b. Take good rest before you start on a journey

c. Wear seat belts.

Bon voyage! Have a happy and safe journey with Your loved ones!

Top 10 Safety Issues that Needs to be Implemented by the Indian Government

Top 10 Safety Issues that Needs to be Implemented by the Indian Government

Top 10 Safety Issues that Need to be Implemented by the Indian Government

1.     Irregularities in issuing of Driving Licenses

Although this seems to be in no way connected to road safety, it is a vital issue, which leads to road safety disasters. LLR’s and permanent licences are issued without mandatory tests, and in some cases (where the tests are conducted) they are done in a lax and negligent manner. Oftentimes, bribes are involved. This results in half baked drivers becoming legitimate drivers on the road, but with the faintest regard and knowledge of road rules. Driving, they assume, is just stomping on the brakes and accelerator.

2.     Drunken driving

A very common threat to road safety, drunken driving causes several accidents and claims many innocent victims. To combat this there should be stricter vigilance on part of the authorities. Furthermore, people driving should be more responsible, and never ever drive if they have consumed alcohol. Most people who consume alcohol always assume that they are in perfect control of their vehicles, when in reality their motor skills and reflex action are drastically reduced.

3.     Unlicensed driving

Unlicensed driving amongst teenagers, especially in smaller towns and in B and C grade cities can be seen driving their parents’ vehicles by the time they reach High School. It is very common to see 12 and 13 year olds in school uniforms driving to school!  And that too on public roads!!! The worst part, however, is that such parents are actually proud of their children. Police too turn a blind eye to such young divers. This is a hazard to the children, and the general public. Government personnel should be stricter and the whole society should work together to stop this unsafe practice.

4.     Cycles

Almost all cycles that ply on roads does not have any kind of lighting- either Dynamos, Battery lights or even reflector lights/tapes. The common argument given is that cycles are a poor man’s vehicle. However, a person spending Rs 2500- 3000/-  for a  cycle can definitely also spend Rs 100/- more for a proper light or at least use reflector lights, which highlights that he / she is present  on the road. Not using lights of any kind is a safety hazard for the person who is riding the cycle and for other vehicles plying on the road.

5.     Re-fitness checks for vehicles

Vehicles with white board number plate undergo fitness certificate after 15 years of operation and yellow board vehicles every 2 years .RTO’s seldom do through checks of the brakes of vehicles when it comes for fitness assessment. Additionally, they do not conduct intensive checks the general condition of the vehicles, including the Engines, Brakes, Seats and Flooring of buses, etc. It is always assumed that vehicles work properly. Sadly, only the bucks matter for them, resulting in a serious safety issue.

6.     Brake lights

You would have noticed that many trucks and public sector vehicles do not have working red taillights at the back. A case in the point. Tractors plying on highways and other rural roads rarely have any lights on them. This makes it extremely dangerous for a vehicle travelling at 90 to 100 Km/hr at night to suddenly come across a vehicle travelling at 25 Km/ Hr in the middle of the road.  Brake lights or at least Red reflectors must be made compulsory in order to increase visibility for the vehicle coming behind them.

(To put it in perspective, a vehicle travelling at 60 km/hr the speed will be doing 16 meters per second, therefore making it next to impossible to brake in time to avoid hitting the slower moving vehicle)

7.     Crash guards on heavy vehicle

Many heavy vehicles remove of their rear and front crash guards after the 1^st year of vehicle service. However, crash guards have a vital function. This guard is provided both in the front and the rear of the truck  so that smaller vehicles, like cars do not go under the vehicles in the event of an accident. This should be checked and enforced by the officials.

8.     Headlight for Heavy vehicles

For Heavy vehicles and Buses, safety experts recommend that the headlight height should not be more than 3 feet above the ground. Many countries strictly adhere to this practice. However, in India very few follow this rule. All HCV, LCV and all private body builders violate this rule, with many installing 4 headlights, which is illegal. (98 % of people do not follow the rule) Keeping the headlight low  will avoid direct glare on the oncoming vehicles. Some manufactures argue that they use only 35 watts bulb for the headlight. However, as soon as the vehicles are out on the roads after registration, they all invariably switch to 90 or 100 watts bulbs, which are blinding for the oncoming vehicles

(The only exceptions are the Volvo Buses and Mercedes Benz Heavy vehicles , they keep their headlights low).

9.     Speed breakers

Speed breakers should be provided at the crossing / intersection of all highways. Side roads which join the main roads should also be provided with speed breakers, because it is the nature of Indian drivers to zip across the main roads on full clip, which can be dangerous for both parties. Several accidents on the highway happen due to the absence of such speed breakers, resulting in several tragic deaths.

10.   Auto Headlight Dipping Facility

At present headlight adjustment facilities in vehicles has become mandatory. However, instead of turning the headlight to lower angle, many drivers choose to keep the headlight aligned on high permanently. It will be good if the Government introduces compulsory Auto headlight adjustment facility instead of the present one, which is just aligns the head lights. The Auto Dipping Facility can help in reducing a lot of accidents which happen during night hours.

(Note: For the past few years, headlight alignment switches have been provided in almost all 4 wheelers. Many choose to set their high beam light as high as possible, which is blinding to the oncoming vehicles. Furthermore, most vehicles use multi reflector lenses, which helps spread the light even more. This makes it worthless to put black dots at the centre of the headlight. Moreover, the present driving culture in India sees many drivers not dipping their headlights for oncoming vehicles. (The amazing thing I’ve noticed is that even if someone dips, the other will not respond, making the person who dips the light look like a fool !!! ). So it will be good if the Government changes the rules making Auto Dipping Lights a compulsory feature for all new vehicles.  Kits can also be provided in the market for retro fitment.)

Hope you enjoyed reading my views on how the government can help improve the common road safety hazards in India.

What other issues do you think need to be highlighted? Please do leave your comments in the comments box below.