Tips for safe driving and avoiding traffic jams.

This year, the Lunar New Year holiday extends until January 26th (the 5th day of the Lunar New Year). Even now, many families are preparing to pack their bags and return to the city, back to their work and daily routines.

Vehicles inch forward meter by meter on the Phap Van - Cau Gie expressway heading towards Hanoi after the Lunar New Year 2022. Photo: Dinh Hieu

If necessarydriveTo bring your family back to the city, you should consider some options.experiencethe following:

1. Carefully check the condition of the vehicle.

Returning to the city after the Lunar New Year holiday, it's inevitable to encounter heavy traffic congestion on the main roads, even during off-peak hours. Prolonged traffic jams can cause your car to overheat, or even break down in the middle of the road, costing you a lot of time to fix.

Therefore, it is absolutely essential to take some time to carefully check the details on your vehicle before setting off.

Just like checking your car before a long trip, you need to inspect details such as: tires, brakes, battery, engine coolant, windshield washer fluid, lights, etc., to ensure your car is in optimal working condition and minimize unnecessary risks on the road.

You should also fill up your fuel tank before returning to the city to avoid long waits on highways and ring roads with an empty tank, which can be very inconvenient.

2. Avoid peak hours.

Many families want to fully enjoy their Tet holiday, so most tend to start their journeys in the afternoon of the last day of the holiday. This leads to an excessively large volume of cars and motorbikes converging on the city at the same time, causing severe traffic congestion at the city's gateways.

Typically, the period from 3 PM to 9 PM is the busiest time on major routes after a long holiday. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, you should change your departure time to make your trip more manageable. You could leave in the morning or even later in the evening to avoid traffic jams.

3. Choose a suitable route.

Choosing the right route is also very important when returning to the city after the Lunar New Year holiday. There are many different ways to get into the city that you can take, not necessarily the main road and the shortest route.

When approaching intersections, we can check information on the radio or use the Google Maps app to update and check traffic conditions in order to choose the most reasonable and uncongested route.

Drivers should avoid returning to the city during rush hour and choose a suitable route. Photo: Vu Diep

4. Maintain a safe distance and avoid sudden braking.

If you unfortunately find yourself caught in a traffic jam, don't panic, as impatience won't make you go any faster. Pay particular attention to maintaining a safe distance, as the vehicle in front may brake suddenly at any moment, and if you're not careful, you could easily collide with it. In that case, the fault will be entirely yours.

When driving in traffic jams, you should also minimize sudden braking, as this can cause the car behind you to crash, wasting time resolving the situation and worsening the traffic congestion. Frequent sudden braking also makes passengers uncomfortable after a tiring journey, and they may even vomit inside the car.

5. Avoid "fill-in-the-blank" questions.

Whenever the roads are crowded, a bad habit many drivers fall into is the "fill-in-the-gap" tactic. As soon as they see a gap in the adjacent lane, they switch lanes, cutting in front of the car behind them to "squeeze" ahead.

In reality, it's not uncommon for cars to drive into the emergency lane or the lane designated for motorcycles. If drivers change lanes or cut in front of other vehicles impulsively, collisions are very likely to occur, making traffic congestion even worse.

Strictly adhere to traffic laws and always maintain a relaxed state of mind behind the wheel. Photo: Hoang Hiep

Experienced drivers advise staying calm, trying to stay in your lane, and only changing lanes when absolutely necessary to avoid frustrating other road users. They also emphasize the importance of strictly adhering to traffic regulations and traffic flow instructions from authorities.

And finally, always maintain a calm and relaxed state of mind behind the wheel. Impatience, frustration, or distraction will not only fail to help you avoid traffic jams but can also harm yourself and those around you.