Summer
Coping with the heat
Summer's heat places additional demands on both car and driver. Read our advice below to help you cope and avoid a breakdown this summer.
Common causes of summer breakdown
Quick checks before you go
Fuel saving tips
Driver fatigue
Hayfever
Loose chippings
Fire risks
Tractors
Sun glare
Summer breakdowns
Drowned or lost key fobs
It's not unusual for motorists to either lose their keys in sand or take their remote control keys for a swim and then find that car doors won't open. Salt in sea water can ruin electric circuits and render transponder keys useless.
Keep keys safe and dry but also make sure that you know the alternative method for getting into the car if the key fob fails. This is usually described in the handbook.
Punctures
High summer temperatures heat up tyres and aggravate any existing damage to the rubber. Under-inflation compounds this, causing friction and added heat which can prove too much for weak spots, causing punctures and blow-outs.
Check your handbook for the correct tyre inflation pressures, especially when towing.
Caravans laid up for the winter should have their tyres checked for cracks and any damaged tyres renewed before use.
Overheating
Aggravated by extreme summer temperatures, failure to keep coolant levels topped up, leaking coolant hoses and broken electric cooling fans can all result in overheating and temperatures fierce enough to cause severe and expensive damage.
Check the coolant reservoir level regularly (refer to the handbook if necessary) and look out for wet or white staining on coolant hoses. If the fan's broken it will soon become apparent when you meet slow moving traffic and the engine temperature starts to soar.
You can get a garage to check it or do it yourself by running the car to normal temperature and then allowing the engine to idle for five to 10 minutes - the cooling fan should cut in automatically.
Quick checks before you go
- Check that brake, clutch and power steering fluids, oil, and coolant levels are up to the mark (refer to the handbook if in any doubt)
- Clean the windscreen, windows and mirrors. Fill the windscreen-washer bottle using a screenwash additive to help clear traffic film and dead insects.
- Check and adjust tyre pressures - increasing them for heavy loads if necessary. The correct pressures will be given in the car's handbook.
- If a service is due, get it done before you go on holiday - repairs can be more expensive away from home.
Fuel saving tips
- Load luggage on your roof rack as low as possible and wrap the luggage tightly in plastic sheeting or consider using a roof box to reduce the effect on fuel economy. If you are staying in the same place, it is worth removing the roof rack/box before driving to beaches and tourist attractions - but make sure you don't lose any of the bits.
- Try your air vents first before opening windows: you may find that the airflow is enough to keep two people comfortable in the front of the car, particularly on a motorway.
- Don't use the air conditioning all the time: once the air conditioning has cooled the inside of the car, you may be able to turn it down or off. Don't start the air conditioning if doors or windows are open.
- If you are carrying extra passengers or heavy luggage, pump up the tyres to compensate for the extra weight. The car's handbook gives advice on this.
- If you park in the sun, using a windscreen shade and opening up the car as soon as you get back to it will help to cool the interior. Opening windows while you drive out of a car park may lower the inside temperature several degrees before you start the air conditioning.
Fatigue
Driving fatigue is a hazard faced by all motorists particularly on long holiday journeys aggravated by high temperatures.
4 in 10 motorway accidents are caused by tiredness. Recognise the symptoms of fatigue and learn how to prevent it. Fresh air, exercise or turning up the radio may help for a short time but are not as effective as the following:
- Don't drive for more than two and a half hours without a break or for more than eight hours in a day.
- Frequent short stops (of at least 20 minutes) are better than one long stop.
- Avoid heavy meals and alcohol before driving.
- Follow the advice in the Highway Code and counter sleepiness by taking a short nap (up to 15 minutes) or drink two cups of strong coffee.
- Remember that it's illegal to stop on the motorway hard shoulder, except in an emergency
Hayfever
Minimise the effect of hayfever when driving.
If you're doing 70mph and sneeze you lose your vision for as much as 100 metres. Have a 'fit' of, say eight sneezes in a row, and you've just travelled 'blind' for nearly half a mile!
Hayfever is particularly bad in the summer but accidents could be minimised if sufferers take action.
- Only take medication which doesn't cause drowsiness
- Get someone else to drive if you are having a particularly bad hayfever day
- Enquire about pollen filters, if available for your make of car
- Keep a box of tissues on or near the dashboard for easy access
- Slow down and drop back if you're about to sneeze
- Wear sunglasses to block out bright sunlight
- Close windows and air vents to reduce pollen grains in the car
- Vacuum car mats and carpets regularly during summer, to get rid of dust
Loose chippings
Summer is the time for surface dressing as highways authorities improve local roads by laying tar covered with loose chippings. But while the work is necessary and effective, preserving roads and improving skid resistance, it is the curse of motorists, with bills for cracked headlamp glasses and windscreens, and damaged paintwork.
Reduce the risk of damage to bodywork by being aware of road re-surfacing work, driving within posted speed limits and nor driving too close to other vehicles.
Fire risks
After several days without rain, highway verges and embankments across the country can become bone dry, and a smouldering cigarette butt could be all that it takes for roadside grass to ignite - in previous hot summers we have seen mile after mile of blackened motorway verges.
Roadside fires endanger the countryside, wildlife, and put motorists at risk because of the obvious danger from smoke reducing visibility. They can also cause traffic snarl-ups as emergency services tackle the blaze.
Tractors
Tractors don't have to be fitted with brake or indicator lights unless used at night - in daylight be prepared for them to stop or turn without warning. Also, tractor drivers often have sound-proofed cabs or wear ear protectors, so they may not hear approaching cars.
It's easy to get restless when slow-moving vehicles are holding you up, but impatience can lead to accidents.
For safe rural driving, follow our country road code:
- Remember the two second rule - keep plenty of distance behind the tractor, in case it brakes suddenly
- A tractor may be longer than it appears, particularly if it has a loader on the front. If you overtake it make sure you have plenty of room to get past it.
- Slow down if you come across a spillage - for example a bale of straw hit at speed can cause considerable damage to a car
- Don't park in a gateway or passing place - they are farmers' field access points
- Drive carefully after rain - dry mud can turn roads into a skidpan after a downpour
Glare
Being blinded by sun glare causes many accidents, particularly under clear skies at dawn or dusk.
Keep a clean and unscratched pair of sunglasses handy but avoid Photochromic lenses, which darken in strong sunlight - the ultraviolet rays which trigger the change are filtered by the windscreen so that the glasses will change only slowly. This is dangerous when driving in and out of tunnels for example.
Clean the windscreen regularly, inside and out, to remove smears, which will catch sunlight and impair vision. Renewing worn or damaged wiper blades will also help to improve vision.