Pack your car correct
An overloaded or improperly packed car can be extremely dangerous to the people in the car. It is therefore important that you pack your car carefully when you go on your winter holiday.
An overloaded car makes it difficult to steer, brake, accelerate, and in general maneuver.
1. How much cargo you can load into your car, depends on the size of the car. You can find your car’s maximum cargo on the registration certificate. You can calculate it from the car’s total weight, subtract the “ready to drive” weight, and add 75 kg for the average driver’s weight.
2. When packing for the winter holidays, it is important to pack the heaviest cargo in the bottom of the car and as far forward in the car as it can get. The location of the cargo will improve the car’s driving abilities and help prevent luggage from moving during sudden braking.
3. If the car is loaded to the breaking point, it is a good idea to adjust the tire pressure so that the tires can perform properly. If the luggage compartment is full, the headlights may point up into the air, in this case, it’s necessary to adjust the headlights.
4. If your car is heavily loaded, you must adapt you’re driving. The car does not accelerate as fast, it will break more slowly and is sluggish in steering.
Arrive safely in the winter weather
The winter months often equals slippery roads, whether it is snow, ice or slush – especially if you seek out the cold weather on a skiing holiday. Under these circumstances, we as motorists must pay extra attention to the roads.
A good piece of advice is to set aside more time for the trip. The car must be scraped free of snow/ice, it must be defrosted, and also keep in mind that the traffic moves more slowly. If you have more time, you avoid stress and accidents.
In winter, it is unsafe to drive with summer tires. The only time summer tires match the performance of winter or year-round tires in the winter is when driving on dry roads – and we rarely have that in the winter. Therefore, it is a really good idea to put year-round tires or winter tires on your car.
Driving on snow and ice
When the ground is slippery, you may need to adjust your driving style a bit. Under these circumstances, it’s a good idea to operate the car with calm movements, calm steering in turns, progressive deceleration, and smooth acceleration.
In winter weather, everything slows down in traffic due to the slippery surface. This means that we need to keep more distance from each other when there is snow and ice on the road. In fact, we must keep up to 10 times more distance.
5 tips for a comfortable trip
It can be uncomfortable to drive a car for a long time. We have therefore gathered five tips for you who must drive a long way to your winter holiday destination.
1. Start by finding a good sitting position in your car seat. Most car seats can be adjusted back / forth, up / down and the backrest can be angled back / forth. Most importantly is that you find a good position in your seat, where you can operate the car and have an overview of the traffic.
2. It may be a good idea to take some long breaks on a long drive. When taking a break, it’s a good idea to move your body a little. Whether it’s a little walk or you’re doing some exercises.
3. Use the long trip for something constructive. If you are alone in the car, you can call your family or a friend. You can also listen to audiobooks, podcasts, or music. If you are on a trip with family or friends, games or a good quiz can make a long drive a little shorter.
4. On a long drive, it is important to be comfortable in the car, and also wear comfortable clothes. Take off the jacket if it is cold outside. Think about whether you should wear tight jeans and pointy shoes. Comfortable clothes are of course more comfortable to drive far in.
5. A long drive can be sleep-depriving. It is a good idea to eat some light meals and drink plenty of water. Too little fluid can cause fatigue, headaches, and difficulty concentrating. These are symptoms we should not experience when we must drive far in a car.
Most important of all: Remember your Saphe traffic alarm!
The best advice we can give you on your winter holiday, of course, is that you remember to mount and install your Saphe traffic alarm in the car. With a Saphe traffic alarm, we can help you avoid speeding fines and accidents, so you reach your holiday destination safely.
Saphe operates in 97+ countries, including the most visited winter holiday destinations such as; Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Italy, France, etc. We get traffic data from more than 11,000,000 drivers in Europe and have more than 100,000 stationary speed cameras registered.
Don’t have a Saphe traffic alarm yet?