What body position should you maintain when going down a hill in a four-wheeled vehicle?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
A. A sitting position, with the body weight shifted towards the rear axle.
Explanation
In the photo you can see a muddy forest dirt road running along a stream, with ruts and puddles. When going down a hill on a quadricycle, you sit with your body weight moved towards the rear axle - answer A.
The Road Traffic Act requires you to drive at a speed that allows you to keep control of the vehicle, taking into account the terrain and the state of the road. When going downhill, the weight of the vehicle and the driver moves forward, so the front wheels carry more load and the rear wheels less. When you move your body weight backwards, you put more load on the rear wheels, improve their grip and reduce the risk that the quadricycle will flip over its front. Leaning your body forward (answer C) makes this problem worse, and riding standing up, perpendicular to the vehicle (answer B), raises the centre of gravity and makes it harder to keep your balance. On a slippery slope, you go down slowly, in a low gear, and brake gently, without locking the wheels.
Legal basis: Art. 19 para. 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)