Hill Start: Starting and Stopping on a Slope

Moving off uphill without rolling back is one of the skills the RTO driving test checks, and one that matters every day on flyovers, ramps, ghat roads and the sloping exits of car parks. Rolling back even half a metre can hit the vehicle or two-wheeler behind you. The answer is simple: hold the car on the brake, not on the clutch, until the engine is ready to pull.

What the test and the syllabus expect

• the official driving-school syllabus under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules includes starting on a hill using the parking brake method; and
• many RTO and automated test tracks include a gradient test: you stop on a slope and must drive forward without any backward movement.

Uphill start in a manual car (handbrake method)

1. the car is stopped on the slope with the handbrake on. Press the clutch down and select first gear;
2. press the accelerator a little more than on level ground, so the engine runs steadily at a slightly higher speed;
3. lift the clutch slowly to the biting point and a little beyond, until you feel the front of the car lift slightly and the engine note drop. Hold your feet still;
4. check ahead, mirrors and the blind spot, and signal if needed;
5. release the handbrake. The car should stay still or creep forward. If it starts to roll back, put the handbrake on again and lift the clutch a little more; and
6. as the car moves, lift the clutch smoothly the rest of the way and add a little more accelerator.

If the engine stalls, put the handbrake on straight away, then restart in neutral and try again. Do not hurry because of the traffic behind you.

Uphill start in an automatic

• keep your foot on the brake with the selector in D. Many cars have hill-hold, which holds the brakes for about two seconds after you release the pedal; move your foot to the accelerator promptly and press firmly enough to pull;
• on steep slopes, or if your car has no hill-hold, use the handbrake as in a manual car: apply the accelerator until you feel the car pull, then release the handbrake; and
• never hold an AMT or DCT automatic still on a slope with the accelerator. It overheats the clutch (see Driving an automatic car).

Starting downhill

1. foot on the footbrake, then release the handbrake;
2. in a manual, select first or second gear (second is often smoother downhill);
3. check ahead, mirrors and blind spot, and signal if needed; then
4. ease off the footbrake and let the car roll forward, lifting the clutch smoothly. You need little or no accelerator.

Stopping and waiting on a slope

• leave at least one car length behind the vehicle in front, so you have room if it rolls back as it moves off. Trucks, buses and loaded vehicles roll back more (Rule 17);
• when you stop for more than a moment, apply the handbrake. It saves the clutch and stops you rolling into the vehicle behind; and
• on ghat roads, follow the rules on giving way and gears in Rule 33.

Parking on a slope

• apply the handbrake firmly, switch off the engine, and leave a manual car in gear: first gear facing uphill, reverse facing downhill. Leave an automatic in P after setting the handbrake;
• turn the front wheels so that if the car rolled it would run into the kerb, not into traffic (Rule 10): facing downhill, turn the wheels towards the kerb; facing uphill with a kerb, turn them away from the kerb so the back of the front wheel rests against it; and
• Section 126 of the Motor Vehicles Act says a vehicle must not be left in a public place unless the engine is stopped and the brake applied so it cannot move on its own.

Common mistakes

Remember