Breakdown Guides

Summer driving guide

People often associate winter’s bad weather conditions and festive season with accidents, but few people realise that the coming summer months can pose just as many problems for drivers.

Every year around 34,000 people are killed or seriously injured in a road accident (AA Motoring Trust) so make sure that you’re aware of the dangers, and take care when driving.

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1. Hot weather

Driving for any amount of time in a hot car is tiring, so if you haven’t got air conditioning make sure that you keep the windows down to keep you alert and if you start to feel drowsy, pull over in a safe place until you feel alert again.

2. Fatigue

Long journeys are tiring and hot weather makes it worse so you should never drive for more than two and a half hours without a break, or more than eight hours in one day. If you go for longer than this your attention will start to wane and you could cause an accident.

Frequent stops of around 20 minutes each are better than one long stop, and if you feel really tired you should stop in a service stop or somewhere safe for a nap and a couple of cups of coffee. Remember that you can only stop on the hard shoulder in a genuine emergency – being tired doesn’t count.

3. Hayfever

Hayfever sufferers need to be more careful when driving. According to the AA, a sneeze while driving at 70mph means you lose your vision for as much as 100 metres – so if you have a fit of eight sneezes in a row, you’ve driven blind for nearly half a mile.

Only take medication that doesn’t cause drowsiness. If you have to take something that might make you drowsy, do not drive.

Slow down and drop back to a safe distance if you think that you’re about to sneeze and make sure that you’ve got tissues handy.

Find out if you can get pollen filters fitted in your car as this could make a real difference. You should also try to make sure the windows and vents are kept closed – co air conditioning is needed to stop the car getting too stuffy.

4. Glare

Make sure that you always keep sunglasses in your car as you’re likely to need them regularly in the summer. Bright sunlight reflecting off the cars in front can make it difficult to see both outside of the car and inside – so it can be difficult to see how fast you’re going.

5. Food and drink

You should avoid driving directly after a big meal as your attention span won’t be up to par and you’ll probably be feeling drowsy. Wait until you feel more alert before continuing your journey.

6. Tractors

You’ll find more tractors on the road in the summer months so remember that unless they’re used at night they won’t be fitted with indicators or break lights. You should stay well back as you won’t get any warning that they’re about to stop or turn.

7. Loose chippings

Summer is the time for road works, hold-ups and loose chippings as roads across the country are resurfaced. Stay well back from other motorists and within the speed limits to avoid damage to your car.

8. Burning verges

Each year we seem to break temperature records and experience ever-longer periods without rain. But it only takes around a week for roadside verges to become dry enough to ignite – and all it takes is a careless cigarette butt thrown from a car to cause massive tail-backs as fire-fighters deal with the blaze. Smoke will also reduce visibility making driving dangerous.

9. Sudden rain

Equally dangerous are the sudden downpours we get in the sticky hot weather. Sudden rain after weeks of drought will cause dry mud to be washed onto the road making cars prone to skidding.

10. Be prepared

We all know how quick the weather can change in the UK – you could start a long journey in the London with bright sunshine only to end up in Manchester in the middle of a thunder storm. Make a checklist of everything you would need in an emergency and ensure that you’re prepared.

You should also consider taking out breakdown cover. You can get good cover at competitive prices and is a good idea if you regularly make long journeys or have a car that’s more likely to break down. Click here to read our Breakdown Policy Guide.