While traveling can often be something that you do for fun, on some occasions, traveling comes as part of necessity. Whether you’ve got to get to a wedding or you’re picking up a large item from another state or you’re needing to see someone for the last time in a long time, there will likely be a time when you need to take a road trip in order to get somewhere far away as quickly as you can. The only problem with this is that it might have you forgoing some road safety measures in order to ensure you can make it to your destination faster, which could cause you to get in some type of car accident. So to help ensure that this doesn’t happen to you, here are three tips for driving long distances in a short amount of time.
Sit With The Right Posture
If you’re going to be spending a lot of time seated in the car, it’s easy for your body to get very uncomfortable, which can result in your losing your focus on the road. To combat this, Nationwide advises that you try to sit in your seat with the right posture. If you’re able to position your body in a way that each limb is getting adequate blood flow to it, you’ll be able to relieve a lot of the tension that you otherwise might feel. Additionally, sitting with the right posture can keep you from getting sore or feeling physically exhausted.
Turn Off Cruise Control Every Now And Then
Cruise control can make many long road trips much more manageable, as you don’t have to sit with your foot pressing down on the accelerator for the entire time. But while cruise control can have many benefits, including improving your gas mileage, it can also cause you to lose focus on the road and become a somewhat lazy driver. When this happens, you could be putting yourself and others in unnecessary danger. So to keep yourself more involved and alert, AA.co.za recommends that you turn off cruise control for a few minutes every once in a while.
Be Careful With Night Driving
When the only thing you want to do is get to your final destination as quickly as you can, you may be tempted to just drive straight through the entire way. And while this will get you there sooner than if you took some breaks, it’s important that you’re giving your body the rest it needs and that it’s generally used to if you want to stay awake and alert on the road. Because of this, SleepFoundation.org recommends that you don’t drive between midnight and 6 a.m., as this is when your body is used to sleeping and will result in you feeling very tired behind the wheel.
If you’re going to be taking on a long road trip that you’re hoping to finish in a short amount of time, consider implementing some of the tips mentioned above to help keep you safe behind the wheel.