Driving back to the city after the holidays: How to avoid traffic jams?

The second-longest holiday of the year is drawing to a close. This is also the time when many families begin packing their bags and preparing to return to the city to return to work and daily life.

However, the journey back after the April 30 - May 1 holiday makes many people frustrated when traffic jams last for hours, which is always a familiar nightmare for those who travel by personal car.

Here are some tips to help make your drive back to the city smoother and avoid getting stuck in traffic:

Consider your departure time

The common mentality of many families is to enjoy the holiday to the fullest, so most of them start their journey in the late afternoon of the last day of the holiday (this year the holiday ends on May 3). The large number of cars and motorbikes pouring into the city at the same time will cause traffic jams at the gateways.

If there is nothing urgent, you should change the departure time to make the trip more “breathable”. You can time your return to the city in the morning or late evening on May 3 to avoid the afternoon rush hour (usually the hottest around 3-8pm).

Choose the right route

When returning to the city, it is not necessary to follow the main road but can take smaller routes. You can refer to information on the radio or use an application such as Google Maps to update, check the congestion status to choose the most reasonable route.

Check the vehicle carefully before departure.

When returning to the city after the April 30-May 1 holiday, it is inevitable that there will be traffic jams on the gateway roads even during off-peak hours.

Being stuck in traffic for too long can cause the car to overheat, or even die in the middle of the road, which will take a lot of time to fix. Therefore, take some time to carefully check the details on the car before setting off.

Just like checking your car before every long trip, you need to "check" details such as: Tires, brakes, battery, engine coolant, windshield washer fluid, car lights,... to ensure your car is in the best condition.

In addition, you should also fill up the fuel tank or fully charge the battery (with electric vehicles) before returning to the city to be ready to deal with the unfortunate situation of being stuck in traffic for many hours.

Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front and do not brake suddenly.

Although no one wants it, the long traffic jams that follow the holidays are inevitable. As vehicles inch forward, the distance between them narrows, making drivers impatient and impatient.

In that situation, a sudden brake from the car in front can happen at any time. If you do not keep a safe distance, a collision is very likely to happen, and you will be the one responsible. Therefore, keep a reasonable distance to always be proactive in handling the situation.

On the other hand, don’t accelerate and then brake suddenly when driving slowly. This can cause the car behind you to not have time to react, causing a chain reaction. No one wants to start the week with a minor but troublesome accident.

Drive in the correct lane, part of the road

A bad habit that many drivers have when the road is crowded is to “fill in the gap”. Whenever they see a gap in the next lane, they change lanes, cutting in front of the car behind them to “get” up. In fact, it is not uncommon to see cars driving into the emergency lane or into the motorbike lane.

If you change lanes and cut in front of other cars just because you are impatient, it will make the traffic jam worse. At the same time, this can easily lead to unnecessary collisions. At that time, you will have to spend more time to resolve the situation.

Experienced drivers always emphasize that when faced with traffic jams, the most important thing is to stay calm. Stick to your lane, only change lanes when absolutely necessary to avoid causing stress and frustration for those around you.

In particular, you must absolutely follow the instructions and traffic flow of the traffic police, that is the fastest and safest way for you to escape the traffic crowd.

And above all, stay relaxed behind the wheel. Being impatient, frustrated, or distracted not only makes your trip more tiring, it also increases the risk of an accident and won’t help you go any faster.