We’ve seen some amazing temperatures this week and if you look back over the last few years, the summers have been hot setting new records.
With higher temperatures come higher levels of stress, which can be caused by dehydration, more people travelling since Covid and reduced concentration levels. But there are ways that we can prepare for driving throughout the heat, here are our top 7 tips:
1. Use Your Air Con!
Most modern cars nowadays come with some form of Air Conditioning or Climate Control, it is a great way of cooling the vehicle down quickly and doesn’t use too much fuel, in fact some people say that it is cheaper to run air con in a car than by driving with all the windows down.
Some top tips to get the best out of your air con include:
- Open the windows and sunroof when you get back to the car, this will help release some of the hot air out of the car
- Some cars have remote facilities to start your air con before getting back to the car, this is a great feature to use.
- When parking, always try and go for a shady spot so that your car doesn't get too hot
2. Stay hydrated
We’ve had some record weeks this September and last year we even saw temperatures hit 40 degrees in some areas of the UK. It is vitally important that you make sure you stay hydrated on long drives or even worse, stuck in those traffic jams.
Always keep some bottles of water in your car for your passengers and yourself, if you have a cooling box or lucky to have a cooled glovebox, pop them in here.
3. Check Levels
At any time of the year it is important to check the levels on your vehicle, from washer fluid to clean off those pesky squashed flies to the radiator to prevent over heating if you get stuck in traffic.
Most modern cars should have breakdown assistance as standard, some insurance companies offer it as a bolt-on but if you need to buy breakdown assistance, click on the highlighted link to compare prices.
4. Allergies and Hayfever
As the pollen count spikes in the warmer weather in the UK, it is very important that you stay on top of any medication but at the same time be wary that they could also cause drowsiness or impair your ability to drive a car.
If you do suffer from very sever hayfever, it might be better to ask someone else to take over the driving for you, as your vision may be effected due to watering eyes or swelling. Don’t forget that sneezing can also make you close your eyes.
5. Check Tyre Pressures
If your tyres have any sort of damage, bulges, punctures or incorrect pressures, they are mor eprone to blowouts. Especially during the hotter weather period.
Before driving anywhere, it is really important to check your tyres and make sure the pressures are correct. You can usually find the recommended pressures on the inside of your drivers door (passenger doors on European cars).
Also, just make sure that you have no nails stuck in your tyres.
6. Moving Obstacles
With the warmer weather comes cyclists, motorcyclists, walkers and even horse riders to our roads. Always take care and allow them plenty of room when driving close or trying to pass.
With horses slow right down and if you have an EV only mode on your car, use it so it doesn’t frighten the horses.
Motorcyclists have a habit of weaving in and out of the traffic, so check and double-check your mirrors before making any manoeuvres.
With cyclists give them at least 1-metre of space when passing, there is no law to enforce them to ride in single file so take this into account when overtaking.
7. Have regular stops
If you’re planning on a long drive in the UK to your holiday destination, don’t forget to take regular breaks for refreshments, fresh air and stretch your legs. When it is hot, long hours spent in the car on the roads can cause tiredness which can have an impact on your concentration and could cause an incident.
There are plenty of service stations on the motorways along with petrol stations and cafes on the smaller roads for you to pull over.
Conclusion
There are many more than 7 tips to driving in the summer, but we’ve chosen our favourite. One of the most important things you should do is make sure that the car is insured, taxed and you have sufficent breakdown assistance in place.
