I don't think they ever did. I do know driving through wildnerness can be fun. I used to take Ortega Hwy past Lake Elsinore to shorten a route to UCR in Riverside by going to the 15 rather than taking the 91. The best advice is to make sure your car's had the maintenance done and have a full tank of gas. Mountain driving reminds people more than anything else the conveniences of civilization aren't always close at hand. You face the same problem of being stranded between L.A and Las Vegas with an overheated engine in the desert while on a commute through the I-15 past Barstow.
"You face the same problem of being stranded between L.A and Las Vegas with an overheated engine in the desert"
I had a breakdown about 40 miles west of Needles on I-40 about 11:00am in late August one year.
There were three of us, one guy hitched a ride to Needles and was coming back with the tow. After 1/2 hour it was so damn hot you couldn't stay in the truck. We ended up pushing the truck up hills and riding down hills for 3 miles or so to an overpass so we could get into some shade.