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Driving in Colorado involves risks you don’t find in other states, including the dangers of high-altitude driving. Altitude sickness can severely hamper your driving ability, and driving at altitude can affect your car’s gas mileage, tire pressure, engine power, and more.
Are you prepared for these hazards? If you don’t take proper precautions, you endanger yourself and others on the road. The team at The Wilhite Law Firm is here to explain the dangers of driving at a higher altitude in Colorado.
What Are the Symptoms of Altitude Sickness?
The higher your elevation on the Earth, the less oxygen there is in the air around you. People moving from lower to higher elevations can develop altitude sickness if their bodies don’t have enough time to adjust to having less oxygen when breathing.
The three main types of altitude sickness are:
- Acute mountain sickness (AMS) – AMS is the mildest form of altitude sickness and typically sets in within a day or two of arriving at high altitudes (more than 8,000 feet above sea level). Most people adjust to AMS within a few days of arriving at high altitude, though symptoms can persist for longer in some cases.
- High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) – In some cases, a lack of oxygen can cause the lungs to fill with fluid. This prevents patients with HAPE from breathing properly. While not the most severe form of altitude illness, patients with HAPE should seek immediate medical attention to keep their condition from worsening.
- High altitude cerebral edema (HACE) – The most severe form of altitude sickness, HACE causes the brain to swell due to a lack of oxygen in the body. This swelling puts unsafe pressure on the brain as it presses against the skull, leading to potentially life-threatening complications.
Some common symptoms of altitude sickness to watch for include:
- Persistent headaches
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea or vomiting
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Malaise, or generally feeling unwell
- Trouble sleeping
- Persistent fatigue even when resting
- Vision changes (a rare symptom resulting from ruptured blood vessels in the retinas)
What Effect Can Altitude Sickness Have on My Driving Ability?
Altitude sickness can significantly impede a driver’s ability to safely handle a car. Headaches, nausea, and dizziness can make it harder for drivers to focus on the road or recognize hazards. Fatigue from altitude sickness can also dull drivers’ senses and judgment, preventing them from recognizing and reacting to potentially dangerous situations on the roads.
Severe altitude sickness can create additional safety concerns for drivers. For example, sudden changes in vision due to altitude sickness can cause drivers to lose control or collide with hazards they can’t see. Impaired lung functionality or pressure on the brain due to altitude sickness can also cause drivers to pass out behind the wheel or lose control of the car, leading them to swerve and hit other cars or nearby hazards.
How Can High Altitude Affect the Performance of My Car?
Driving at altitude can affect your car’s performance and safety in several ways:
- Engine power – Less oxygen in the air means your engine can’t reach full power, as car engines use oxygen as fuel for combustion. The higher you climb, the harder it is for your engine to reach full power – and it could stall entirely in some situations.
- Fuel – Because there’s less oxygen in the air at high elevations, gas stations at these altitudes often use fuels with a lower level of octane. This is because there isn’t enough oxygen for engines to take advantage of high-octane fuel. People who fill up their cars at high altitudes may find that their engine lacks power when they return to lower altitudes because of these low-octane fuels. Without full power, drivers may have a tougher time overtaking or performing other driving maneuvers, making a collision more likely.
- Tire pressure – Altitude can affect the pressure in a car’s tires, creating safety issues. Lower air pressure and cooler temperatures at altitude can decrease a tire’s pressure by several pounds per square inch (PSI). This negatively affects the car’s handling, braking, and gas mileage.
Can High Altitude Affect My Car’s Gas Mileage?
One significant danger of driving at altitude is the heightened risk of an engine stall due to how altitude affects a car’s gas mileage. Less oxygen in the air means a car’s engine has to work harder to produce the same amount of power, which affects the car’s gas mileage. Lower air pressure can also decrease the pressure in a car’s tires and affect gas mileage. Because of these risk factors, drivers should be more cautious about when they fill up at altitude to avoid running out of gas in potentially dangerous situations.
What Precautions Should I Take When Driving in the High Altitude of Colorado?
You can’t always avoid high-altitude driving in Colorado. Here are some crucial safety tips to minimize the chances of a crash:
- Bring plenty of water and stay hydrated, as high temperatures and elevation can increase the effects of dehydration.
- Be careful about running your air conditioner when driving uphill, which can make your engine overheat.
- Watch your tire pressures while driving at altitude and carry an air compressor in case you need to top off your tires after a while.
- Consider getting a tune-up before spending a long time at high altitudes. In particular, keeping your car’s air filter and fuel injectors clean can help it maintain its power at high altitudes.
- If you feel sick, return to a lower altitude if you can do it quickly and safely. Otherwise, let someone else drive or call 911 to alert emergency responders.
Why Choose The Wilhite Law Firm for Your Colorado Car Accident Case?
If you’re involved in a high-altitude car accident in Colorado, trust The Wilhite Law Firm to fight on your behalf for your financial recovery. With decades of experience, we know all the ins and outs of these cases, giving us the edge you need to demand fair compensation. We’ve obtained over $1 billion in compensation for our clients, including a $4.8 million settlement for auto accident injuries.
Our clients rave about our legal services. Here’s what one satisfied client said:
“The team that Rob [Wilhite] has put together is truly fantastic. Everyone from the pre-litigation to the litigation team really cares about the client. They will fight for you to get you what you deserve. …I tell anyone that asks, don’t hesitate hiring Rob!” – Kristen Miner
Contact a Colorado Car Accident Lawyer
The Wilhite Law Firm is ready to protect your rights after a Colorado car accident. Call us today or complete our contact form for a free consultation.
