Each season presents unique driving risks; the summertime is now upon us. Read this guide to safety-first summer driving to prevent or manage a roadside issue.
Animals roam the road in autumn, ice coats everything in winter, and rain complicates driving in the spring. In the summer, the heat and the distraction of recreation get in the way of safe driving. To mitigate these summertime hazards, you’ll need a guide. Here are four safety-first summer driving tips that’ll help.
Prepare for a Summertime Driving Emergency
Many people drive the most in the summertime. Between commuting and taking trips, many people rack up hundreds or even thousands of miles. The increase in driving coupled with often hot conditions make managing a crisis difficult. As tire pressure swells with the heat, expanding the air within tires, tire blowouts become more frequent. To prepare, it’s best to know the protocol for safely changing a flat tire.
Additionally, you should pack a source of shade and plenty of water—more than a gallon—in your car for stoppages. Your car becomes your shelter when it fails, but without air conditioning, that shelter gets hotter and hotter, draining your body’s water supply. Outside the vehicle, you combat the beating sun. Pack an umbrella or blanket for shade and water to rehydrate as you wait for assistance.
Keep an Eye on Fluid Levels
As always, your car’s fluids are essential. Making sure they’re topped off and in good health will prevent a stoppage in the summer heat. This includes motor oil, transmission, and power steering fluid, while windshield wiper fluid is also helpful. In the summer heat, your struggling engine will need an adequate supply of motor oil to stay in good shape.
Wear Driving-Ready Shoes
Another safety-first summer driving tip is to ditch the sandals and flip flops for driving-ready shoes. Though it’s tempting to transition seamlessly from the beach to driving the car without changing out your open-toe shoes, closed-toe shoes are much safer to drive with. If you spend a few seconds putting on open-toe shoes, you eliminate your risk of catching your sandal on a gas or brake pedal and endangering you and your passengers.
Share the Road Courteously
Also, in the summer, there are many more forms of transportation on the road. Not only do pedestrians populate the streets, but so do bicycles, motorcycles, and other vehicles. Allow space and don’t expect your path to be clear if there is not another car present. In the summer, it will take a second more than normal to make sure there is no smaller vehicle or person present as you change lanes, turn, and perform other maneuvers.