Travel Tips For Drivers
(35-3)
Getting
there safely and wisely.
When taking
a long trip, you may not want to be in a rush to get
from one place to another. Some people enjoy their excursions
more when they’re driving at a reasonable 55 mph
instead of 75 mph, when they can’t take your eyes
off the road for a second.
Try to arrange travel times to avoid rush-hour traffic.
If you have arrived at a busy time of day, you could
take a break at a shopping centre or have a meal while
waiting for the traffic to clear. Besides, if you get
to your campground by 4 p.m., your chances of obtaining
a better site and avoiding traffic there will be improved.
And, you can use the rest of the afternoon to relax
or take in local attractions.
Can You STOP?
If you’re motoring along at 20 mph, you’re
required to stop within 40 feet. In tests we’ve
done with trailer stopping distances at 55 mph, we’ve
found that many RVs take up to 285 feet to stop completely.
Since RV headlights rarely shine more than 250 feet
ahead when they’re properly aligned, this means
you can easily run out of road before you can stop when
an animal runs out, or when an object such as a tire
gets thrown into your path. In Michigan, we once saw
an aluminum ladder fall off the roof of truck in front
of us. Luckily we were travelling on a county road where
the speed was slower.
You have to be ready to stop before you need to. I prefer
to stay one second behind the vehicle in front, for
every 10 feet of overall length of the RV combination
I’m driving. In our case with a Class A motorhome
towing a Jeep Liberty, that means staying five seconds
behind. When the vehicle in front passes a stationary
object, start counting the seconds until you arrive
at the same location. If it’s raining or snowing,
the road can be slippery. That’s when your stopping
time needs to be doubled.
Night Vision
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Be Aware
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Break It
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Drive By The Rules
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(Read the full article in the magazine.) |
