10 Safety Tips for Car Driving During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Despite the months of lockdown imposed in several countries affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the number of cases keeps increasing. It is now imperative for everyone to protect themselves by obeying all measures recommended by health organizations to stop the spread. Likewise, drivers are not left out. They should take extra precautions to protect themselves and their families from getting infected.

10 Safety Tips for Car Driving During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Here are the safety tips you should strickly follow while driving in this health crisis:

1.    Always have a hand sanitizer in your vehicle

Before entering your car at any point in time, make sure to use hand sanitizer. By doing this, you will avoid contaminating the car with germs you might have gotten from somewhere else. To be extra sure, you can sanitize the parts of the car you come into contact with frequently. AC buttons, gear level, door handles, steering wheel, handbrakes and more.

2.    Be careful of the things you touch outside your car

You drive to several places and touch a number of things. During these times, keep in mind that the things you touch are likely to be contaminated. So, it would be best if you were cautious while touching things. For instance, when you go to fill your car at a fuel pump, make sure you put on a pair of gloves before handling the fuel pump.

3.    Disinfect your car every day

Make sure you clean every frequently touched area in your car with disinfectant. When you do this daily, you will eliminate the risk of getting infected.

4.    Reduce the number of stops

Always plan before you drive out in order to limit the number of stops you make. Remember, touch is the main source of infection. Therefore, schedule your drives for the week if possible to limit the number of stops your risk of exposure.

5.    Always put on your gloves

While you drive out, you come in contact with several things. And it’s almost impossible to avoid contact with everything. But, you can tackle this with a pair of disposable gloves.

6.    Don’t overlook the boot

Whenever you carry something into your boot, make sure you disinfect it and also the boot. Don’t risk any chances; the thing you may be carrying may be contaminated, so it’s important to take necessary precautions.

7.    Adopt contactless payments

When making purchases try to utilize contactless payment methods. Avoid making contact payments wherever possible such as tolls, grocery stores, fuel stations, and more. If you maintain this, you might reduce physical contact and hence chances of getting infected.

8.    Be careful when accommodating passengers

In this kind of time, we can no longer accommodate just anybody into our house without adopting proper measures. The same is applied to vehicles. It’s best to avoid picking up passengers in your if it’s actually possible. But if you cannot do this, you should make sure they sanitize and use face masks. You can also keep your passengers limited to your family members to reduce risks of infection.

9.    Avoid Ride-share apps

You might want to avoid using ride-sharing apps for now. This is to eliminate any risk of getting infected completely.

10. Roll down the windows

It is always great to get airflow throughout the car while driving. When you roll the window down, it could decrease the amount of time that virus particles move in the air.

Conclusion

It might not seem easy to follow these tips while driving because we're already used to normal ways of living. However, we have to adapt ourselves to these new changes in order to ensure our safety and that of our family. Sanitize your car thoroughly without overlooking any area. Stay safe!

 

Winter Car Driving Tips

 Winter Car Driving Tips

Now that winter is officially here, most of us that live in the cold weather climates can expect hazardous road conditions frequently during the season. Add to the already colder than normal temperatures with the weather forecast models showing an above-average snowfall, and you can see the need to sharpen your winter driving skills. But, follow these tips and might even look forward to cold weather car driving!

•    Slow Down. Limit your speed and think ahead. Excessive speed is the single biggest reason people lose control in the snow. Adjust your speed to the conditions. Remember, it’s better to get there a little late than not at all.

•    The Turn. Let’s say you’re proposing a clear bend on a snowy road: first, gently apply the brake in advance of the turn. After taking your foot off the brake, coast through the corner while turning the wheel. After you have exited the turn and straightened the wheel, gently accelerate.

•    Braking. It takes 4 to 10 times longer to stop a vehicle on snow and ice, so give yourself a large space margin.

•    The Slide. If you find yourself in a slide, don’t panic! If the back end swings out, expedite lightly in order to transfer the weight to the rear and improve traction. If the car drives forward without turning, straightening the steering and gently touching the brakes will turn more weight to the front wheels and enable the tires to “bite” again.

•    Smooth and Easy. As with all winter car driving movements, using a soft hand and not driving the gas or brake is the most efficient way to drive in snowy conditions. Abrupt steering movements can also cause loss of control.

•    Check Your Tires. Tires play a vital role in the amount of traction your vehicle will have. If you have worn tires, it will take you longer to stop and accelerate, and it will limit your ability to control your car. Simply put, if you need tires, have them replaced. They will still be less expensive than the cost of an accident.
 
•    Don’t Rely Too Much on Technology. Electronic aids like anti-lock brakes and traction control have worked wonders for vehicle safety, but icy road conditions can render those features useless. Avoid the inescapable rules of physics by keeping your speed reasonable and maintaining a safe car driving distance from cars and objects about you.