2008 GMC Sierra 1500 Pickup Owner's Manual - Page 277

• Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you more visible to approaching traffic on trails or hills. • As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand on the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position. This way, you will be able to tell if the wheels are straight and maneuver as you back down. It is best that you back down the hill with the wheels straight rather than in the left or right direction. Turning the wheel too far to the left or right will increase the possibility of a rollover. There are also some things you must not do if you stall, or are about to stall, when going up a hill: • Sound the horn as you approach the top of the hill to let opposing traffic know you are there. • Use the headlamps even during the day. They make your vehicle more visible to oncoming traffic. {CAUTION: Driving to the top (crest) of a hill at full speed can cause an accident. There could be a drop-off, embankment, cliff, or even another vehicle. You could be seriously injured or killed. As you near the top of a hill, slow down and stay alert. There are some things you should do if the vehicle stalls, or is about to stall, and you cannot make it up the hill: • Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into NEUTRAL (N) to rev-up the engine and regain forward momentum. This will not work. Your vehicle will roll backwards very quickly and you could go out of control. Instead, apply the regular brake to stop the vehicle. Then apply the parking brake. Shift to REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and slowly back straight down. • Never attempt to turn around if you are about to stall when going up a hill. If the hill is steep enough to stall your vehicle, it is steep enough to cause you to roll over if you turn around. If you cannot make it up the hill, you must back straight down the hill. • Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and keep if from rolling backwards. Also, apply the parking brake. • If the engine is still running, shift the transmission to REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and slowly back down the hill as straight as possible in REVERSE (R). 4-19