[RJK]

Originally Posted by ram

On a down slope, my uncle-in-law who was driving, put the car in neutral and switched off the ignition to coast downhill. Only when he hit a turn, did he realize that switching off the ignition also locked the steering column.

With all due respect, he asked for a disaster. Which car was it by the way ?

[Captain Pings]

wow. thinking back to the days when my father taught me hill driving - one of the things warned against was switching off the ignition.

and the other was to coast down in neutral too long.

engine braking - that's another thread altogether.

but yeah, i wonder how many cars on the road today have the feature where the steering locks (at the lock position, ofcourse) , when the ignition is turned anti-clockwise completely (as opposed to physically removing the key and hence allowing it to lock)

[condor]

Captain, lucky you, that you got such good training, and hats off to your dad too.

Switching off the ignition has caused quite a few accidents when Tata released the 407 and other trucks with power-steering. The drivers didnt know that they shouldnt be switching off the engine [trying to save fuel], and - coast downhill with engine off, and then realise no brakes, no steering.

I think cars today do have the steering lock - but that would be a safety feature for use when we park the car. Wouldnt be possible to do it when driving.

Thief, good to know everyone is safe. Been wanting to ask you if the engine was switched off when this happened.

[Captain Pings]

Query - do you mean that there was no 'residual' steering and braking power left on the 407's with the engine no longer driving the hydraulic pumps ??


correct me if i'm wrong, but on most passenger cars with hydraulic steering and braking - if the engine is shut off (and hence the hydraulic pressure falls) - the system can still be operated - albeit with greater physical input.

[tsk1979]

But in case of a heavy truck, physical force wont be enough. As for steering lock, it not about power steering, its about the steering column getting locked when ignition is off.
Downhill with ignition off also can lead to brake faliure if you dont use engine braking and cook the brakes.
Its a big problem in US, as most people drive automatic trannys and dont know that you have to shift to manual mode downhill. Thats why they have those run off ramps for such vehicles which lose braking while coming downhill

[condor]

at speeds at the bottom of the hill, the vehicle would be too fast for any residual steering and braking that's there. And adding to this would be the inertia of the vehicle because of the load it's carrying.

[sfilinto]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Thats why they have those run off ramps for such vehicles which lose braking while coming downhill

hey tsk1979
Whats "Run Off Ramps" ?

[tsk1979]

Near the end of long downhill sections on most wide roads(There are hilly 6 lane roads too ) there is this small dirt road with lots of sand etc., going up the hill. At the end there is a net followed by bushes. So if you have an 18 wheeler going downhill lose its brakes and hit insane speeds, these ramps are the exist routes. The sand slowes down the vehicle and then the nets catch it and the bushes are the next line. This ensures that the at the curve the vehicle does not cause a major accident.
These ramps are marked well with notifications about ramps appearing about a mile earlier.

[condor]

You can similar setup for trains in India - like the one between Lonavala and Bby, as you are getting down the ghats.
These are placed between two hills - at the point where the down/slope section ends and you start climbing the adjacent hill.