Summer driving – tips to drive safely 

UK summers bring us all kinds of weather from torrential downpours one minute to glorious sunshine the next. It’s also the time of year where you may be thinking about embarking on your first road trip with your mates so make sure you take a look at our top tips for summer driving and driving safely. 

Summer driving essentials

Before setting out any journey, but especially long-distance ones, you must ensure you have the summer driving essentials:

1. Water – make sure you have a bottle of fresh water in the car so you can stay hydrated. And, so it can double up as screen wash if needed.
2. Suncream – keep a bottle in your glovebox as if you decide to make an impulsive drive to the beach you’re going to need it to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays
3. Screen wash – keep this in your car ready to top up when you need to. Driving in summer means more bugs and insects on the windscreen. Plus when the sun is glaring on a dirty windscreen it makes for very poor visibility, so be sure to keep it clean.
4. Sunglasses – these really are essential to stop the glare of the sun limiting your vision. Rule 237 of the Highway Code says drivers must slow down, or pull over if dazzled by bright sunlight. This means that if you don’t follow this rule, and you’re not wearing sunglasses to protect you from the glare, then you could be convicted of careless driving.

Summer driving preparation

Its always essential to be properly prepared for summer driving, so before embarking on your journey make sure you’ve done these things as not only will they ensure a safe drive they’ll also help mitigate a breakdown.

1. Pump up your tyres – in hot weather it’s advisable to pump tyres up a couple more PSI than you usually would
2. Top up your oil and washer fluid
3. Plan your journey – know where you can fill up with fuel / charge your car, where you can stop for a break and think about the time you leave and the route of the journey to avoid heavy traffic.

AVOID OVERHEATING

Cooling systems are under more strain in high temperatures, so it’s important to check the coolant  regularly to avoid overheating. You also need to ensure you or your pets and passengers don’t overheat too. You can do this by:

1. Using the air conditioning – and if you use the circulate button it will help it cool down quicker
2. Sun shields – putting a sun shield over the back windows will keep the sun off the rear passengers and some of the heat out
3. Park in the shade – avoiding parking in direct sunlight will really help to keep the heat down inside the car.
4. Windscreen shade – when parked using a windscreen shade will stop the sun warming up the car through the glass.

Wherever you’re heading this Summer be prepared and have fun.

Not passed your Theory Test yet? You can download The Complete Theory Test kit App for FREE .  Visit the App store here.