The first long road trip can be exciting, and intimidating. There is the adrenalin rush with the start of the trip and then getting used to continuous highway speed and then the constant awareness of vehicles around you and road conditions and then being lulled into a false sense of security and possibly becoming complacent. Careful!
Add talking with passengers and perhaps listening to tunes - be doubly careful!
Can you be aware all the time? Nope. Well, not without some help. Try moving your eyes to mirror, left of road, right of road, try to guess the distance between you and cars in front or back of you and other exercises to help you retain your vigilance.
Here are some resources to help you think about and plan for a long trip.
From TD Insurance we have this very good article called, 10 tips for safer distance driving. Have a look around the site. There are some excellent articles, such as this one on fatigue called, The deadly force of fatigue.
About fatigue, there is this article from the government in Australia called, Are you tired? You shouldn’t be driving.
Because snow is not unheard of even during the summer, your winter survival kit should still be packed in your vehicle. Some items are for emergency use all year round. Here is a kit list from the County of Stettler (Alberta) website:
For your comfort and safety - in addition to your peace of mind - you should carry an emergency road kit on a long trip. This kit should be stored in the trunk or cargo space of your vehicle and should include the following:
Ice Scraper
Snow Brush
Shovel
Sand, salt or kitty litter
Booster Cables
Flashlight
Blanket
Extra Clothing and Footwear
Emergency Food Supplies
Axe or Hatchet
Matches
Candle in a Deep Tin
Fire Extinguisher
Paper Towels or Rags
First Aid Kit
Compass
Road Map
There are many more resources on the net to check out but the ones listed here will help get you started.
Drive safe...
Cheers - Mike
XML Feeds
Attribution Share Alike
