– By Rod Fuller –
As company car drivers we all are used to being out on the road every day, be it in heavy city traffic, cruising the motorway or clocking up the miles on a country road. But one of the busiest times of the year for being out on the road is upon us – the Christmas/New Year Summer Holiday break.
So its time to be prepared (mind, body and car) before you set off for the annual holiday trip. Because as we all know, we are great drivers, but we also know others aren’t! So before you set off, I’ve prepared as quick check list you might want to consider.
IS THE CAR READY
In the week before leaving
- Will the car fall due for its next scheduled service while you are away? If so act now, get it booked in with whomever you have servicing the vehicle and make sure the car is in ‘tip top’ condition. As there is nothing so relaxing as being stuck on the side of the road with a vehicle breakdown on a hot summers day – especially if you have kids!
- If the car isn’t due for a service, check it out anyway. Have a look under the bonnet, check the engine oil, engine coolant, battery, brake fluid, power steering and transmission (if possible) fluid levels and top up if necessary. And don’t forget the windscreen washer bottle as well!
- Check the condition of your tyres and their pressures and pump them up if necessary, including the spare tyre. If you are not sure what pressure the tyres should be, check the tyre pressure placard which is normally located inside the driver’s door jam.
The day/night before leaving
- Check the car AGAIN! It will only take few minutes to check it and isn’t peace of mind better than being avoidably stuck on the side of the road.
- Fill it up now! One less thing to do tomorrow when you set off.
- Pack whatever you can it the car now, so you only have a few things to pack into the car before you head off tomorrow. Much less stressful.
ARE YOU READY
- Plan the trip. Sounds obvious I know, but have a think about how long it will take to get there? What route are you going to take? How busy are the roads likely to be? What time of day do you plan to leave? All good questions, even if you had made the trip many times before.
- Get a good nights’ sleep. Again in the obvious category, but give yourself a break and be well rested before you set off, especially if you do not have anyone to share the driving duties with. And of course go easy on the alcohol, the day/night before you set off. It will make that nice ‘cold one’ taste so much better when you get there, and if you do get pulled over for a RBT, you can rest easy, smile and wish the police constable a happy day!
- What time of day should I leave? Naturally your individual circumstances will dictate this, but if it is a long drive (8 – 12 hours or more) consider stopping somewhere along the way to make it a two day trip. Personal opinion, I feel it is better and safer to get up and leave really early (4am – 5am) than to drive into or through the night.
ON THE DAY TAKE YOUR TIME
- Now you have set off, enjoy the drive!
- Take your time, go with the flow. Yes the roads are busy, every other man, woman, child and their dog has chosen to travel at the same time as you. But stressing about that won’t help you, or get you there any faster.
- Obey the road rules. Stick to the posted speed limit (no one is going to give you a trophy if you get there first), put your phone away unless you have a proper cradle for it and hands-free operation. Better still turn it OFF you are on holiday – remember!
- Share the driving if possible and or take a break every two hours or so. Don’t trust your tired self.
- DON’T take unnecessary risks! Is it really necessary to overtake that caravan over a blind brow? Just because you have been stuck behind it for the last two kilometres or so! Better to wait and get there a bit later than planned, than to collide head on with that semi-trailer coming the other way that you hadn’t seen and NEVER GETTING THERE AT ALL!
- Remember to enjoy the trip, as someone a lot smarter than me once said. “Life is a journey, so enjoy the ride – it’s better than the destination!”
Well I hope that this has given you all a bit of ‘food for thought’ and may help in planning your annual holiday trip. From all of us here at Fleet Auto News, we wish you all a happy and joyous festive season and safe motoring.
