Why is it prohibited to coast in neutral on long downhill slopes?
2 Answers
Reason: Engaging a low gear on long downhill slopes allows the engine to assist in controlling the vehicle speed, avoiding the danger caused by brake failure. When coasting in neutral on a long downhill slope leads to excessively high speed, it becomes difficult to quickly shift to a low gear to control the speed. The following details explain downhill driving: Using low gear: The best method to control speed on long downhill slopes is to drive in a low gear, making full use of engine braking to decelerate. Hazards of coasting in neutral: Coasting in neutral not only fails to save fuel but also poses significant safety risks. During neutral coasting, if an emergency requires sudden braking, the absence of engine braking not only reduces braking effectiveness but also makes the vehicle prone to losing balance, causing skidding, or even extreme situations like brake or steering failure, which can easily lead to severe traffic accidents.
In my twenty years of driving experience, I've learned that you should never coast in neutral on long downhill slopes, primarily because it causes the braking system to overwork. When the engine is engaged in gear, it naturally helps decelerate the vehicle through engine braking, sharing the load with the brakes. However, if you shift into neutral, the engine no longer assists in slowing down, leaving the brake pads to bear the full brunt of the descent. Continuous braking causes them to overheat and quickly lose effectiveness. Once, while driving a truck on a mountain road, I shifted into neutral to save some fuel, only for the brakes to fail, nearly sending me over the cliff. Since then, I've always used lower gears in combination with braking. Modern vehicles, whether manual or automatic, are much safer when kept in lower gears, which also helps prolong the lifespan of brake components. Developing this habit can truly save lives.
