Plymouth Rock Assurance, summer driving tips
Posted by Michael McDermott on Wed, Jun 20, 2012 @ 10:41 AM
6 Smoking-Hot Summer Driving Tips
If this post’s title doesn’t get your attention, nothing will.
Summer is prime time for Americans to hit the road en masse. According to stats from the American Automobile Association, more than 35 million of us drove to our vacation destinations over July 4th weekend last year. Stay safe, and keep cool by following these summer driving tips:
- Before you pack up for that big road trip…make sure your car is ready to go: have it serviced and inspected for safety, don’t stuff it until you blow past your vehicle’s recommended weight capacity, and make sure your tires are inflated properly. Each 10-degree Fahrenheit jump in temperature increases tire pressure by about one pound. Who knew? Now you do.
- Your car needs fluids, too. Keep your vehicle “hydrated”: check your oil, coolant, brake fluid, power-steering, windshield wiper, and any other fluids frequently during the hot summer months. Make sure you have enough to keep your car cool and running smoothly when the thermometer spikes.
- Don’t even think about leaving kids or pets in your car alone. Sounds obvious, right? Yet every year we all read horrible stories of people who—intentionally or not—do this, so it’s worth repeating here. It doesn’t have to be a heat wave outside to raise the temperature inside your vehicle to a deadly level in just a few short minutes. If you wouldn’t be comfortable stuck in a stifling hot car, why would anyone else?
- Use a sun shield. Using a sun shield when you park your car helps lower the inside temperature and protects interior surfaces.
- Slow down for road work. Summer + vacation drivers = road construction + traffic tie ups. It’s a classic equation. Watch for signs, and obey the laws in construction zones. Yield for pedestrians and road work vehicles. And take a chill pill: it’s summertime. You’ll get there eventually.
- The end of summer means school’s back in session. Summer weather in New England is so fleeting, the season will be over before we realize it’s gone. Be familiar with the school crossing and other safety zones wherever you drive, so when school’s back in session, you’ll be ready for it—at least when you’re behind the wheel.
Headquartered in Boston, Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation provides auto insurance to personal and commercial auto insurance customers in MA and CT. Plymouth Rock is the flagship carrier of The Plymouth Rock Group of Companies, which together write and manage over $1 billion in auto and homeowner’s insurance throughout the Northeast.
Sources:
http://www.forbes.com/2011/06/07/summer-driving-tips_print.html http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/transportation/info-05-2010/Summer_Driving_Tips.html