GOOD MOTORING
Face the valley while reversing
H. Kishie Singh

Reversing with the rear end of the vehicle towards the khud can be dangerous

WE should pay attention to the advice given to us. Sometimes it has the wisdom of ancients and could save a life or two.

I spend a lot of time driving in the hills of Himachal Pradesh and one of the sights that unnerves me, simply because it is fraught with danger, is when drivers are reversing on a narrow hill road. A three-point turn would be an ideal solution but sometimes the size of the vehicle and width of the road do not allow for this simple manoeuvre. It can be a 4-point or even 5-point turn and this needs special attention. Many times I have seen this manoeuvre being done and in many cases the driver noses into the hillside, this means he has to reverse towards the drop!

The other day I was visiting Air Marshal Sarin (retd). He lives right on the top of a hill and the road is steep and narrow. It also has a very sharp hairpin bend which requires the use of reverse gear to negotiate it. Certainly a Gypsy can’t do it in one go. The Air Marshal supervised the layout of the road and at the hairpin bend, he dug into the mountain — a place to reverse into.

"You go down the road and reverse into the mountain," he told me. "Always face the valley". A sensible bit of advice. This simple manoeuvre will increase your safety. It is a heart-stopping sight to see a Sumo or Qualis with 6-8 people inside, doing an about turn with the rear end hanging out in space. A little bit of thought can prevent a disaster.

There’s another safety move largely ignored by drivers when they park in the hills. Since there are few level places to park on a slope, you are obliged to park on the side of a hill. While parking you must pay attention to three things. First, apply the hand brake before switching off the engine. Second, put the car in gear. Third, and this is of paramount importance, turn the steering so that the wheels face the hill if you are parked on the hill side. If you have parked on the khud side, the wheels should be facing the road. The reason is simple. If you have parked on the hill side and the brakes fail, or the gear shift lever is nudged accidentally (children left in the car have a habit of fiddling around) the car will roll a couple of metres into the hill. You will no doubt have a few scratches on the paint work but the occupants would remain safe, and the car would still be on the road.

If you are on the khud side, the car will roll into the road and again, into the hill. Again, both the car and the occupants will be safe.

Remember, it is you the driver who is responsible for the safety of the occupants of the car. Both while it is moving and while it is stationary.

Stationary means when parked. Parking is never taken seriously by drivers in this country. As my friend Nirmal says, "Indians don’t park, they just stop!" When you park, you must get well off the highway. It is a common sight to see a car parked on the highway with two wheels still on the tarmac. To compound the danger a door is left slightly ajar. The slip stream from a bus can pull it open and it can come into the path of a truck taligating the bus!

A fast-moving vehicle, especially a bus or truck, which is not aerodynamic, churns up the air behind it. It creates a vacuum and that pulls things along. A train created such a severe slip stream that children standing close to the tracks were sucked under it, with dire consequences.

Parking requires a lot of thought. Do not block other cars, pedestrian paths, or park in a way that would inconvenience others. Be courteous.

Happy motoring!