Enjoy Road Trips With 6 Steps to Stress-Free Driving
You can now enjoy long hours of road trips with these tips of 6 steps of stres-free driving. Just getting from A to B can leave you frazzled and fraught, but follow these tips and advice of the experts and you’ll be able to enjoy the ride.
1. Make sure the car is up to the trip
It may seem obvious, but do give your car a good check over before you go. Do you have enough fuel and do you know where you’ll be able to fill up? When did you last check the oil and water levels? What about tire pressures and thread depths? It’s all rather tedious, but far better to spend a few minutes making basic checks than be delayed hours because your car has broken down halfway there.
2. Know where you’re going
Take a few minutes to plan the journey. Yourdestination may have a website with a location map you can print out and take along with you. Also, maps are widely available at your nearby bookstore for as little as 99 Pesos for sheet maps and about 550 Pesos for city and country atlases.
3. Don’t run late
Always leave plenty of time for your journey and plan rest stops if your destination is more than two hours’ drive away. Running late increases pressure, meaning you are more likely to take risks and be involved in a car crash or road rage incident. It also means you might exceed the speed limit, which could result in a fine, as well as being a danger to other road-users. Allowing extra time gives you a better chance of arriving safely and finding a parking space.
4. Be streetwise
Controlling your speed and using the gears wisely helps fuel go further, according to Edmund king, executive director of the RAC Foundation, an independent body in the United Kingdom that promotes environmental, economic, and safety issues relating to use of motor vehicles. “Avoid harsh accelation and braking, and stick to speed limits — you’ll use less fuel and will soon feel the benefits in your wallet,” he says.
If you’re going a long way, you’ll be a lot happier if you’re comfortable at the wheel. Get your driving positiion right and, if you’re in an unfamiliar car, get to know the ventilation and air-conditioning controls before setting off. Then, every 45 minutes on a long journey, open the windows and let in some refreshing outside air.
5. Keep youn children occupied
If money’s no object, fit a DVD system in the front seat headrests. For a smaller outlay, portable DVD players are available for much less. These are usually powered through the car’s cigarette lighter or power outlet and can be easily packed away when you’re not using them.
6. Play some music
The radio and CDs you listen to can liven up a monotonous journey and make a stressful drive across town more tolerable, but it’s important to pick the right kind of music. “Good driving is all about being fully alert, so don’t start loading so-called restful CDs of pan pipes or whale calls,” says UK song writer Peter Baker. “Go for something big, wide, and robust on a long journey.
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