Advisory Speed on a Rainy Mountain Curve with a Tailgater
You are driving a 24-foot motorhome towing a compact car on a two-lane mountain road in southwestern Montana. It is dusk, and light rain has been falling for an hour. You approach a series of yellow signs: a winding-road symbol, an 8% DOWN GRADE plaque, a curve sign with an advisory speed plaque reading 35 MPH, and a SLIPPERY WHEN WET sign. A deer-crossing sign appears just before a stand of trees. Your motorhome weighs 14,000 lb; the towed car adds 3,000 lb. The road is posted 55 mph. A local pickup is tailgating you closely. Your passenger says the 35-mph sign is only a suggestion and that you should maintain 55 to keep traffic moving. Ahead, the road curves right and disappears behind a rock cut.
1. How should you interpret the 35 MPH advisory plaque in relation to the posted 55 MPH limit?
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The 55-mph sign is the regulatory maximum for the road under favorable conditions. The 35-mph plaque is an advisory speed for the curve: it tells you that 35 mph is the recommended maximum for that feature under good conditions. It is not a separate legal speed limit, but it is strong evidence that 55 mph is too fast for the curve even in dry weather. With rain, dusk, a 17,000-lb combined load, and limited sight distance behind the rock cut, your safe speed is likely below 35 mph. Treat the advisory as a warning to slow before the curve, not as a suggestion to ignore because traffic is behind you.
2. What do the winding-road, 8% downgrade, slippery-when-wet, and deer-crossing signs collectively require you to do before the rock cut?
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They require you to prepare for several hazards at once rather than reacting after you enter the curve. Slow down before the curve, select a lower gear for the downgrade, and use smooth steering and braking inputs because the wet surface reduces traction. Scan the shoulders and tree line for deer, especially at dusk, and cover the brake when passing the stand of trees. The rock cut blocks your view of the curve exit, so do not drift toward the center line and do not carry extra speed into the turn. The correct sequence is: reduce speed early, establish engine braking, increase following distance, and keep both hands on the wheel with a stable, predictable path.
3. How should you handle the tailgating pickup without speeding up?
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Do not accelerate to satisfy the tailgater. Your responsibility is to drive at a speed that is safe for the curve, the wet road, and your heavy combination. Maintain a steady, predictable speed and avoid sudden braking that could cause a rear-end collision. If a legal turnout, pullout, or wide shoulder appears, signal early and pull over to let the pickup pass. If no safe pullout exists, keep a larger following distance ahead so you can slow gradually rather than abruptly. Do not brake-check the tailgater. The goal is to remove pressure without letting another driver's impatience push you into the curve too fast.