Now we can say that the autumn has officially arrived. The drop in temperatures is beginning to take center stage, the trees are beginning to lose their leaves and bad weather is going to be quite frequent. So what you have to do is, above all, use common sense and exercise caution to ensure the safety of passengers.
From Coches.com we want to give you some tips for driving safely in autumn and thus guarantee safe driving during the autumn months, although winter will soon be upon us.
Car tuning
Before starting the route, you must check that your car is in optimal conditions. Not long ago we gave the key points to tune up the car in the fall.
It doesn’t hurt to briefly review them:
- Check the good mechanical condition and especially check the brakes.
- Check the brushes and operation of the wiper (during the summer and due to the high temperatures they may have fallen into disrepair). By the way… does the heated rear window work well?
- Check the system lights of the vehicle and its settings. Review what the lights are like and when to use them.
- Inspect the oil, brake fluid and windshield wiper levels.
- Clean the vehicle, windows, headlights, fog lights, lights, mirrors and reflective elements to see and be seen. In this sense, you may be interested in the article Tips and tricks for washing your car.
- Check the pressure, drawing and grooves (minimum 1.6 mm) of the tires to ensure good grip on the road and prevent slipping. Here we tell you how to keep the tires at the correct pressure and what you should do in case you have a puncture.
- Take the essential spare parts such as: spare wheel with the necessary pressure and tools for its installation, duly approved reflective vest and two approved hazard signaling triangles.
Speed
The faster you drive, especially on wet and slippery roads, the longer it takes to stop the vehicle. Doubling your car’s speed can almost quadruple the amount of time needed to stop safely.
Seat belt
Advice that never goes out of style and will never go out of style (for our sake). The use of seat belts can save, or rather, saves around 100,000 lives a year.
In addition, it is the best protection against injury in a sudden stop, sudden emergency maneuver or a traffic accident. Apart from wearing a seat belt, make sure that the rest of the passengers wear them too. Do you know who pays if you travel without a seat belt?
Forget the phone
One of the biggest distractions when driving is using your cell phone. Although in reality it is a danger in summer, winter, spring and autumn, but from here we invite you to be cautious. Just watch the video that shows that using your cell phone (in this case, sending a message while driving) doesn’t achieve anything except give you a good scare.
Beware of animals
Animal crashes are significantly higher during the fall season. Specifically, they occur at sunrise and sunsetand the problem is that most accidents occur because drivers try to avoid the animal too late and at inappropriate speeds.
weather forecasts
The first thing we should do before leaving home if we want to undertake a considerable trip is to look at the weather forecasts. Autumn is a very beautiful season, but also very unstable in terms of weather conditions.
You may be lucky and have sunny days and pleasant temperatures (as we have already had), but you could also face a trip in heavy rain or in fog (here are some tips for driving in the rain). If the weather is going to be bad and you can change the date of your trip, do so.
At this time, the puddles. Whenever possible, avoid the sides (where there are more of them) and drive on the central part of the road. If you enter a deep puddle, do not take your foot off the accelerator. This way you reduce the possibility of the car stalling if water enters sensitive areas.
Be careful with the leaves
This may seem silly, but dry leaves can create dangers, especially if they are wet. According to this Ford study, they are as slippery as snow and could cause aquaplaning.
This is how you should drive in these areas:
- Maintain a safe speed. When you drive excessively fast, aquaplaning is more likely to occur.
- Lower speeds when you have to wait for large puddles of water.
- Make sure your tires are kept in good condition.
- Drive where the preceding vehicles circulate.
- To avoid collisions, keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front.
However, dry leaves can also create dangers: if it rains and they are wet on the road, their effect can be similar to aquaplaning, so reduce speed and cross them carefully. Another tip is that at the end of each trip it is interesting to clean the dry leaves that have fallen on the car so that they do not accumulate and clog ducts.
Via: The Car Connection
Photos: cc Flickr Gavin Clabaugh, JM
