When descending a steep hill, a good and safe driving practice is to…?
- Disengage the clutch and coast
- Turn off the ignition
- Gear down and use the motor to assist in braking ✓
- Place the gear shift in neutral
Answer: C. Gear down and use the motor to assist in braking
When going down a steep hill, gear down and let the engine help control your speed instead of relying only on the brakes.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's stopping section says that in a manual transmission vehicle you should shift into a lower gear on long, steep hills, which keeps your speed in check so you don't have to brake as hard. It adds that you should downshift before the hill starts, because shifting may not be possible once you're already going down, and that your downhill gear should match the gear you'd use going up. Coasting, neutral or a dead engine give you no engine braking at all.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Disengage the clutch and coast — Disengaging the clutch and coasting removes the engine's braking effect, so nothing is helping to hold your speed down on the hill.
- B. Turn off the ignition — Turning off the ignition cuts the engine and leaves you without power assistance or engine braking, which is not a safe way to descend a hill.
- D. Place the gear shift in neutral — Putting the shift in neutral is the same as coasting: the engine can no longer slow the vehicle and you rely entirely on the brakes.
Remember it
Think of the hill in reverse: the gear you would climb it in is the gear you descend it in, so pick that lower gear before the slope begins.