By the time you read this, you’ll probably already be fed up with the same old Christmas records being played on radio and in the shops. But perhaps one of the most apt, for this article at least, is ‘Driving home for Christmas’.
Modern culture has led to families being more separated by distance than they were perhaps before. There are more people at university than ever before in all corners of the British Isles, the expense of living in the big cities has led many to instead live further out in the suburbs, and with motorways now linking most of the U.K up, it’s plausible to be able to expect to be able to drive from one side of the U.K to the other within a day.
But, Christmas heralds a time (see what we did there?) when many drivers let go of their inhibitions, and indeed, the seasonal time of year also sees drivers perhaps less experienced in say driving long distances, or driving on motorways, getting behind the wheel for a journey home to see family.
As both a Car Insurer and a leading U.K Car Breakdown and Recovery brand, we at Autonational know to expect the unexpected at Christmas. We have literally attended breakdowns in the past where the occupants of the vehicle are dressed as Shrek, a Smurf and Snow White. We have also identified that some of the breakdowns we attended previously, could have been avoided by simply being more prepared.
For example, some cars just do the daily commute or school run, and then at Christmas, are laden with family and presents and sent on a journey of (sometimes) hundreds of miles. But when using your vehicle in this way, it’s important to understand that vehicles may have an underlying fault, or perhaps not even a fault but a maintenance issue, that may come to light when it’s under more duress. It’s always worth checking tyres; for both tread and pressures before setting off. Checked your oil dipstick lately? Are your lights all working OK? 10 minutes spent checking your vehicle could save you a world of pain at the time of year which will matter to you most.
But, driving home for Christmas is more than just ensuring your vehicle will make it. If you are more used to the domestic trudge into work each day rather than Motorway driving, spend 30 minutes refreshing your memory with protocols for driving on Motorways (especially Smart Motorways) and just gathering some confidence, especially if you are going to have a car load of jolly co-occupants.
Finally, from a health and safety point of view, it’s worth perhaps mentioning that tired drivers can be dangerous so don’t over exert yourself if you are undertaking a long drive any time soon, and don’t forget all the recent new laws regarding eating, drinking and accessing your mobile phone at the wheel. Police will be out in force on the roads over the Christmas period and they’ll take things like this quite seriously.