Which Side Has the Right of Way When Vehicles Meet on Mountain Roads?
2 Answers
Vehicles not adjacent to the mountain side have the right of way. Relevant explanations: 1. Reason: This priority rule is established from a safety perspective. The side adjacent to the mountain is relatively safer—in case of accidents, the worst scenario would be scraping against the mountain. However, for vehicles not adjacent to the mountain side, accidents could result in the vehicle plunging off the cliff, leading to severe casualties. When meeting on narrow mountain roads, due to complex traffic conditions and obstructed visibility, various sudden accidents are highly likely to occur. Therefore, extra caution is required when vehicles meet on mountain roads. 2. Precautions for driving on narrow mountain roads: Use the horn frequently; Drive close to the mountain side; Reduce speed when meeting other vehicles; On mountain roads, vehicles on the outer side of the road have the right of way; Maintain stable control of the vehicle's direction; Flash headlights between high and low beams promptly when meeting other vehicles at night.
My experience with mountain driving is that yielding depends on the specific road conditions. The most crucial rule is that uphill traffic should yield to downhill traffic, as downhill vehicles have more difficulty controlling speed, especially fully loaded trucks with significant inertia. When encountering narrow curves, I usually stop dozens of meters in advance to observe. Once on a switchback in the mountainous area where Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan meet, two SUVs were stuck at a hairpin turn, and I proactively reversed to a flat area to resolve the situation. Nowadays, in road construction zones, everyone basically follows the alternate passing rule, and local drivers often use hand signals to indicate yielding. The key is to observe the surroundings more, such as checking if the vehicle ahead is emitting white exhaust smoke from climbing, which definitely indicates a greater urgency to pass.
