Safe driving rules

Several books could be written about driving - in fact I think they might have been already! Here's a few thoughts about driving in difficult conditions.

1. Keep all wheels on the ground - This may seem obvious but your van's suspension articulation range may easily be exceeded. The other day we were in car park which was edged by a low bank to mark the boundary. A Land Rover Discovery taking a short cut (and I suspect showing off just a bit) tried to drive over it only to find it had only 2 wheels on the ground and no traction - it was later dragged off by a tractor. The moral is to choose your route carefully.
2. Control the throttle to eliminate wheel spin - The tread of a spinning wheel will just scoop out the ground from under it and make matters worse. Physics (for those who can remember their school days) shows that a sliding object has less friction than if that object is stationary. In mud there is sometimes the chance that a spinning wheel will cut through to firm ground underneath. If you find the wheels spinning back off the throttle immediately.
3. Don't drive up steep slopes diagonally - always drive up at right angles to the slope.
4. Crawl over rocks very slowly and have someone outside to control the situation - Rocks usually win when in contact with a vehicle.
5. Don't drive through water unless you have to - Always drive slowly so that there is only a small bow wave and no spray and make sure you know how deep the water is before you start. Check with your main dealer before leaving to establish all the places water can get in. You may need to take plugs for the drain holes for the cam shaft drive belt housing and the clutch housing. Gearbox and axle breathers may need to be extended. The fan should shielded (but not touched) by a sheet of plastic. If any water gets into the engine air intake then serious damage will result.
6. Avoid dust - If you hit a dust cloud (from a passing lorry perhaps) foot on the clutch and off the throttle until the cloud is passed. This will reduce the amount of dust going into the engine air filter. Don't try to add additional levels of filtration as this will seriously impair the running of the engine.
7. When switching off turbo diesels allow the engine to idle for 10 seconds or so before turning it off - This is to maintain good lubrication to the turbo's bearings.
8. Don't despair if you get stuck - Avoid wheel spin, try backing out then back and forth to build up momentum, get something solid under the wheel (you may have to jack up the van to do this), try digging out, get a push from all and sundry, get a tow, use a winch if you have one.
9. If in doubt - don't do it - Adventure is not a competition. Don't put yourself into a difficult situation when you don't need to.

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Written by Clive Barker in preparation for UK to China and back.