Rocky Mountain National Park Celebrates its 100th Anniversary: Mountain Driving Safety
January 26, 2015, marks Rocky Mountain National Park’s 100th anniversary. For those who will be visiting the park this season, and those who are planning any mountain excursions, we offer these mountain driving safety tips.
- Make sure you have plenty of gas before you head out of town.
- Know that you may not have cell phone service for long stretches of your drive. Plan accordingly. Make sure that someone knows where you are going and when you plan to return because you may not be able to call for help if you have car trouble or get lost.
- If your vehicle is straining while driving uphill, try a lower gear.
- Watch your temperature gauge. Overheating is common when driving up a steep hill. Do not run the air conditioner.
- If you start to overheat, pull over as soon as possible. If you cannot pull over safely right away, run your heater at full blast. It will help cool the engine and buy you some time.
- When driving downhill, do not ride your brakes. Shift to a lower gear to keep your speed under control.
- Be very careful about passing. Never pass on a blind corner.
- Do not hug the center line or cut corners on curves.
- Remember that traffic travelling uphill has the right of way. Be prepared to yield on narrow roads.
- Be on the lookout for wildlife in the road or heading for the road.
- Watch for fallen rocks in the road.
- If you are moving slow and holding up traffic, use a turnout and allow other cars to pass when you can do so safely.
- Resist the urge to stop in the road to view wildlife or take pictures. Find a safe place to pull over, and don’t wander out into traffic if you get out of your vehicle.
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