Off-road driving can be a daunting experience even for an experienced motorist as it can be unpredictable and require a range of different techniques. If you are going camping, planning a picnic or a long walk in the countryside, it is likely that you will encounter some sections of rougher terrain, so here are some basic tips that should be useful and help you to drive with confidence.
Essential Tips for Safe and Effective Off-Road Driving
Tackling Terrain
First, you need to consider the kind of terrain that you will be driving. Here are a few of the main types and how to drive on them:
Steep incline: For a steep incline, you first need to make sure that there is an exit at the top. To safely drive up a steep incline, you should be in second gear and take a short run up and maintain a walking speed all the way to the top.
Mud: Driving through deep mud can be daunting as you do not want to get stuck. You should try to keep your speed and gears high and build a bit of speed before hitting the patch – you should also try to drive in a straight line. If the tyres start to spin, try easing your acceleration.
Country Lanes: Country lanes can be narrow, bumpy and unpredictable. Therefore, you should always drive slowly and keep a close eye out for motorists and pedestrians.
Crossing Water: You should avoid crossing water unless there is no other option. If you have to drive through water, you should drive slowly, to begin with, and build up momentum before easing off the accelerator when you reach the other side.
Essential Equipment
You also need to make sure that you are equipped before heading off-road. The first thing to consider will be your car tyres as you need to have off-road tyres for your car that can handle different terrain by providing better grip and traction. Wooden boards can also be helpful for providing something solid to drive on in the mud and for providing support for a jack if you need to change a tyre. Following this, a lug wrench and jack should be in the boot so that you can make a change if needed. There are also traction aids if you get stuck and you can use a shovel to move terrain around and get out of the mud.
Safety
Safety also needs to be a priority when driving off-road. You should notify people in advance of where you will be driving, use navigational tools to avoid getting lost and stick to the route that you have planned.
Off-road driving can be daunting and challenging, but the advice in this post should be useful and hopefully help you to master any terrain that you find yourself in front of.
