Essential tips for long-distance driving.

(Baonghean.vn) -Driving a car on long journeys means constantly facing changes in terrain, weather, traffic, etc. In such circumstances, drivers need skills to ensure safety.

Check the lighting system.

Adjust the headlight height to match your speed to ensure safety and avoid affecting other vehicles. When the headlight system becomes dirty, clean it to maintain optimal brightness.

Check all the light bulbs on the vehicle. Make sure none are dead or dim.

Following closely in the rain.

Tailgating is something drivers should never do on the highway, especially in rainy conditions. The resulting effects, such as reduced visibility, slippery roads, and the rush, make controlling the vehicle more difficult than usual. It's easy to rear-end the car in front if an unexpected incident requires sudden braking.

To avoid this situation, maintain sufficient distance to brake in the rain, gradually reduce speed if encountering obstacles ahead instead of braking suddenly, which can easily cause the wheels to skid. Additionally, use the windshield wipers to ensure optimal visibility.

Use headlights in foggy conditions.

The light from the headlights will illuminate all the water vapor molecules in the air, and the refraction of light into the tiny water droplets will worsen your visibility. Turn on your fog lights or low beam headlights, enough to let other drivers know there is a vehicle coming from the opposite direction.

Changing lanes

Highways and national roads have a lot of traffic, so arbitrarily changing lanes can lead to unnecessary accidents.

To successfully change lanes, you must first obey traffic laws and only change lanes where lane markings permit it.

Slow down after overtaking.

After accelerating to overtake the vehicle in front, many people often have the habit of suddenly releasing the accelerator and slowing down, thinking that once they have overtaken another vehicle, they are safe.

However, this idea is completely wrong because the car behind you could be surprised and crash into you. After overtaking another vehicle, remember to maintain the same speed as the vehicle you just overtook to keep a necessary safe distance.

Sudden stop

On highways, there are often rest areas for vehicles experiencing breakdowns or for people who are tired and want to rest. Avoid suddenly cutting across lanes near the shoulder to reach a rest area. Plan your position beforehand, then gradually move into the most appropriate lane closest to the rest area.

Move parallel to the truck.

Driving alongside those huge, slow-moving, and potentially dangerous trucks is something to be avoided unless absolutely necessary when buying a car.

To avoid this situation, if you're in the same lane, overtake the truck as soon as you have the chance, without hesitation, as this will affect your entire journey time. However, don't rush either, because even a small mistake can have serious consequences.

Brake while cornering

Braking makes the wheels harder to control when cornering because inertia overcomes frictional resistance. Additionally, drivers often don't pay attention to whether the vehicle is fully loaded when cornering. Vehicle weight is crucial when cornering; if it's too heavy, the inertia will be greater, making braking in the corner even more dangerous.

Improper use of headlights and low beams.

Many people use their headlights incorrectly, only using high beam or low beam without considering the situation. In dark conditions, without streetlights, maintain a safe distance from the vehicles in front and behind. Use high beam when there is a large distance, switch to low beam, and flash your headlights if you encounter oncoming vehicles...

Apply the brakes continuously when going downhill.

Heat from the brake pads transfers back, causing the brake fluid to boil. The negative consequence is brake failure at the end of a steep mountain pass. At that point, the speed will increase due to inertia, and with the brakes not working, it is extremely dangerous.

Going slowly is safe.

Many people believe that driving slowly can help them handle situations more easily and safely. However, this is not always true, especially when driving on highways.

Driving at an average speed of around 80 km/h while moving at 60 km/h is very dangerous if the vehicle behind doesn't accurately perceive the speed and therefore doesn't brake in time. Slow and fast are only relative concepts; each driver needs to move at a speed appropriate for the general traffic flow.

Staring intently at the car in front.

Due to psychological factors, we sometimes rush along the road and get drawn to the car in front, only to be startled by what suddenly appears behind it, potentially causing an accident. Instead, scan your gaze back and forth across the road, trying to look at the car ahead. Or at least the space between the cars, so you can anticipate what's ahead.

Limit the use of the function screen.

Similar to phones, infotainment screens can also be a source of driver distraction. Modern technology has made screen interfaces more complex with countless integrated functions. These features are useful but should not be used excessively while driving.

Control via steering wheel buttons or voice interaction through supporting software is a better solution for drivers.

Ngoc Anh

(Synthetic)