The fall season is a lovely time of the year. You won’t have to clean up snow, but the weather will be perfect. Plus, there are so many holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving. What’s the best about fall is that people know that it’s almost the holidays with Christmas or Hannukah just around the corner. This means spending time with their family along with long road trips. However, since road trips can happen to be able to visit the family, there are hazards that you could face along the way. So, it’s best to be prepared for these hazards. It’ll save and prepare you and other people as well.
While the fall season is an amazing time to get together with friends and family, some trips can end tragically. So, to prevent this, Carfect would like to offer some pieces of advice to help you get through your trip.
During the fall, weather could become unpredictable. There are gloomy days that bring in the rain and cold weather. On the other hand, it could also be bright and beautiful. But, as winter gets closer, days will be shorter and colder. Pretty soon, it might also become icier, depending on which state you’re living in. Plus, at fall, you’ll have back-to-school traffic, rain, foliage, fog, frost, sun glare and the occasional deer.
Deer
This only really happens if you live in an area where deers are prominent. During the fall season, it’s their time to migrate and mate. So, it’s best to keep yourself always on the lookout or drive slowly but surely to prevent accidents. Especially, deers are known to dart across a street unknowingly.
Sun
During the fall season, you’ll get a lot of sun. So, the sun glares can hinder your driving capabilities. When this happens, it’ll be hard to see pedestrians, oncoming traffic and even the car in front of you. You’re basically temporarily blinded because of the sun which leads to a lot of accidents. So, it’s safe to say that you should drive with either sunglasses or pull down the car’s interior sun visor.
Frost
If you do a lot of night or early morning drives, you’ll notice that the temperatures can drop severely. This causes a bit of morning frost or icy spots on the road, which can barely be seen. The most common places this can happen are the bridges, overpasses or basically any areas that are usually shaded. So, being careful in or avoiding those areas on the road will help your car from spinning out of control.
Fog
Cold mornings and evenings during the fall season could lead to fog. When this happens, it’s possible that your driving visibility and depth perception while driving could be impaired. Most of the time, fogs can occur in places that are surrounded by hills, water, mountains and most especially, trees. So, one of the most common mistakes people make while driving in a foggy place is to turn their high beam on. But, this will actually make it worse for you while you’re driving. If you do this, the lights will bounce off the fog and create a glare.
The best thing to do while driving in a foggy place is to turn on your fog lights. Plus, it’s best that you slow down and stay at a good distance from the car in front of you. This will give you adequate time to stop if needed.
Foliage
Fall foliage can be beautiful with its ever changing hues. But, as the leaves fall and litter the streets and roads, it becomes a traffic hazard. Why? Because it makes the streets slick. In some cases, it can also prevent drivers from seeing the traffic line markings. If there are potholes in your area, they can hide these and other hazards on the road. Plus, when it rains, you’ll mostly have slippery roads due to wet leaves.In some states, there’ll be visitors from out of state. Some of these visitors could be called leaf peepers. They’re called this because they make unpredictable stops just so they can admire the foliage. So, it’s best to be careful and keep your distance.
Traffic
When it’s fall and you have children, you’ll know that it’s the time when kids go back to school. So this means, there’ll be a lot more kids crossing the street or walking out and about. Inevitably, this leads to more people walking on the streets and eventually traffic. With the increased pedestrian activity, you’ll really need to be more careful when driving around schools, bus stops and suburban areas.
Tips for driving around in fall
Here are some tips to prepare you.
- Watch your speed
- Keep your distance
- Stick to your low beams and fog lights
- Clear frost from your windows
- Approach stops and traffic lights with care
- Avoid using products that increase car glare (like wax)
- Watch out for wildlife
- Always check your tire pressure
When you’re driving, it’s best that you know all the safety precautions during each season. By knowing what to look out for, you’ll easily get to avoid them. This will save people, yourself and your family.
