First time driving mountains

We live in hilly country and see vehicles with 'Flatlander' plates, not just RVs either, going down steep hills, with the brakes on almost all the way down. I have seen discussions on other forums and message boards, in which people say that they'd rather wear out their brakes than their transmissions as they are cheaper!!!! It would appear from these discussions that many people believe that when they hear the term, 'lose the brakes' they think that means the pads or linings wear out! I have seen people write that as they have just replaced their pads or linings, they won't have to worry about that.
Braking materials have greatly improved over the years but somehow these people have to learn that if you brake all the way down the hill, they will overheat and won't work when you are half way down1