Let’s be honest. We are dealing with a quite challenging year. 2020 has forced us to change many old habits, and sometimes I think it will be impossible to get back to the “normal”.
We are working for home, avoiding gathering and public transports, and of course, not travelling as much as we used to.
Consequently, you may have noticed less traffic on the roads as well. Yep. I quite like the fact the roads are emptier now. However, it will certainly change as soon as the lockdown is lifted again. And it’s when the roads start to be busy that we do need to “re-learn” how to be cautious behind the wheels.
Thinking about it, I have prepared some basic road safety tips & travel tips to follow before and during your travel trips.
Table of Contents
Check Your Car
During our first and only road trip of 2020, we reached the motorways to Cumbria a couple of months ago. We knew it would be a smooth journey. Even though, my husband followed some normal vehicle safety checks that we usually do before going on long journeys by car.
This procedure seems quite obvious, but the truth is that people sometimes forget to do basic checks in the car before travelling. If you want to rent a car, click here, to get the best deals in luxury transportation.
We always do a complete service in the car. I know it may sound a bit extreme. But it’s better to be safe than sorry. Especially when you are about to drive through narrow and unpredictable country lanes in the UK.
A simple walking around the car checking the tires is already something. You never know if there is something stuck underneath the vehicle or if it is time for an oil changing. These are only basic effective measures.
Update Your Vehicle Safety Technologies
We all know that cars are quite safe machines nowadays. In fact, it is proven that over 90% of car accidents are related to human errors. For this reason, the automotive industry has developed a series of technologies to improve vehicle safety.
These systems can prevent accidents and/or reduce the consequences and impacts of an inevitable collision. Some of them are already fitted in today’s cars.
Other ones are developed to assist and help the drivers to avoid dangers on the road. This is the case of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) – a vehicle safety technology that not only alerts the motorists on upcoming dangers in between the journey but can also help the drivers to effectively tackle them, avoiding distractions in your journey.
Some of ADAS system features include:
- Adaptive Cruise Control (This is used to control and manage a safe distance between your car and the car in front of you)
- Forward Collision Warning (alert in the ADAS system that alerts the driver about an upcoming bump or crash)
- Parking Assistance System ( used to automatically park your car without any manual control of the car)
- Blind-Spot Detection ( warning system alerting you about any car coming in your blind spot)
- Autonomous Emergency Braking ( automatic braking system without the driver’s input it is done in ADAS when a collision is expected)
Be Patient and Attentive to Details
Driving is not for everyone. It looks like quite an easy task, but it’s in fact a complex matter that doesn’t depend only on your attitude behind the wheels. It also depends on the decisions made by other drivers. Whether they are speeding up or not paying attention to the road signs, they can put you at risk too.
That is when being patient is your best attitude on the roads. It is not nice to keep pushing people or be mad at drivers when they change the lines without turning the signals, anyway. But the secret is always to stay calm!
Another feature of a careful driver is being attentive to details. Never take your eyes off the roads.
Know Where You are Going
I have been traveling this country by car for nearly 10 years now, and one thing that my husband always does before our trips is checking and studying our routes ahead of time.
We usually save maps and check alternative routes that may be necessary to take in case of road diversions. We don’t live our home without planning our route trip.
It’s also important to avoid taking unknowing short cuts that can end up in more time spent on the road. You can minimise time and expenses when you study your route in advance. Think about it when planning your next road trip.
