1993 GMC Suburban Owner's Manual - Page 195

Does the traveltake you uphillordownhill?(There'smorediscussion thesesubjectslater.) Willyouhavetostopsuddenlyorchangedirectionquickly? When you driveoverobstaclesorroughterrain,keepafirmgrip on the steeringwheel.Ruts,troughs, or othersurfacefeatures can jerkthewheel out of yourhands if you'renotprepared. e of Whenyoudriveoverbumps,rocks,orotherobstacles,yourwheelscanleave theground. If thishappens,evenwithoneortwowheels, you can'tcontrol thevehicleaswellor at all. Because you willbeon an unpavedsurface, it's especiallyimportant to avoid suddenacceleration,suddenturns,orsuddenbraking. In a way, off-road drivingrequiresadifferent kind of alertness from drivingon pavedroads and highways.Thereare no roadsigns, posted speed limits or signallights. You have to use yourowngoodjudgmentabout what is safe and whatisn't. Drinking and driving can be verydangerous on anyroad.And this is certainly true for off-road driving. At the verytime you needspecial alertness and driving skills, yourreflexes,perceptions and judgment can be affected by evenasmallamount of alcohol. You couldhave a serious-or evenfatal-accident if youdrink and driveorride with adriverwho has been drinking.(See"DrunkenDriving" in the Index. Driwing On Off-Road H i h s Off-road driving often takes youup,down,oracrossahill.Drivingsafely on hillsrequires good judgment and anunderstanding ofwhatyourvehicle can and can't do. There are some hills thatsimplycan't be driven,nomatter how well-built the vehicle. Many hills are simply too steep for any vehicle. If you drive up them, you will stall. If you drivedownthem, you can'tcontrolyourspeed. If you drive acrossthem, you will roll over.You could be seriously injured orkilled. If you have any doubtaboutthesteepness,don't drive the hilt. 4-27