Monday, March 25, 2024
Menu

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

Reading time 7 Min.

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

Oh, it's autumn again. With its colorful foliage, the soft light and cozy evenings on the couch, the golden season undoubtedly has its beautiful sides. However, autumn also includes bad weather and low temperatures, which can make driving more unsafe and demanding. If you take a few tips to heart, you can also be relaxed and safe on the road at this time of the year.

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

Before you start: a few movements on the vehicle for a perfect view

Even before you start your journey, you can increase safety and comfort while on the move in just a few simple steps. A clear view through all panes is particularly important in autumn. All soiling such as leaves, small branches or dirt should be removed from the vehicle, especially on all windows and the area between the window below the wiper and the bonnet. A dirty windshield can not only increase the glare effect, but also damage the wiper blades, which can then no longer clean the windshield without leaving streaks. It is therefore particularly advisable to replace the wiper blades at the beginning of autumn. But you should not only keep an eye on the outside of the windshield - just as important is a streak-free cleaned inside: Deposits and streaks lead to strong glare effects, especially when the sun is low, which prevent a perfect view.

At the same time, the water level in the windshield cleaning system should also be checked: A distinction is often made between detergents for use in summer and winter. If you are heading towards autumn, a detergent with antifreeze is recommended. You can find suitable products in various container sizes at your nearby SEAT partner. A supply belongs in every trunk from autumn.

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

Plan more time and space

Fog, rain, early darkness and leaves on the road: In autumn, the risk of accidents increases due to poor visibility and slippery roads. Driving under such conditions not only requires increased attention - the usual route can also take more time than usual. Therefore: It is better to plan a longer journey straight away, because time pressure is definitely the worst companion in autumn and under the more adverse conditions. When you are on the road, a generous distance from the vehicle ahead pays off because of the longer braking distances that may be necessary - because they may not be as well prepared for the special challenges as you are.

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

A question of the tires

The well-known rule of thumb “O to O” applies to the use of winter tires - that is, October to Easter. However, this motto is only intended as a guide. The legislator prescribes the use of tires with optimized properties for "black ice, slippery snow, slush, slippery ice or slippery frost". However, it doesn't have to snow first to be safer on the road with winter tires. Even a few degrees above freezing, in the rain or on roads covered with leaves, many of them have at least as good, if not better, grip properties than summer tires. Because heavy rainfalls can also lead to aquaplaning in autumn, a sufficient tread depth is of the utmost importance. The legislator prescribes a minimum profile depth of 1,6 millimeters. Experts, on the other hand, recommend a tread depth of at least three to four millimeters. Without sufficiently deep grooves (profiling on the tread of the tire), the water on the road surface cannot otherwise be displaced by the tire quickly enough, which can lead to the tires floating up (aquaplaning) and thus to a loss of control over the vehicle.

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

On board: important helpers within easy reach

Are the sunglasses on the cover or are they in the storage compartment in the driver's door? That's a good thing, because especially in autumn the sun can be low for longer periods of time and can be very dazzling. If it is level with traffic lights, these and other important traffic signs are difficult to see. The sunglasses then help to maintain an overview. Even if it is of course not only mandatory in autumn: the warning vest, which has been mandatory since 2014, should also be within reach in the vehicle. When you leave the vehicle, for example in the event of a breakdown on the country road, it should ensure that other road users can immediately recognize you, even in poorly lit surroundings.

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

Well dressed is one thing, properly dressed is the other

It can get really cold as early as October - so you leave the house and get in the car, wrapped up accordingly. Nevertheless, it is advisable not to sit behind the wheel in full gear. On the one hand, clothing that is too thick reduces the protective effect of the belts, which should always be close to the body. On the other hand, a thick jacket can restrict freedom of movement when driving. It also prevents the warm heating air from reaching the body and warming it. And after longer journeys you freeze all the more when you leave the vehicle because your body has got used to the “too warm” environment caused by the heater and jacket. The same applies to footwear: Even thick winter boots are not always ideal for driving, as the contact and the feeling for the pedals are impaired. Ideally, you should wear a pair of comfortable “driving shoes” in the vehicle.

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

Take special care when driving overland

Particular attention should be paid to country roads: Most of the time they are not illuminated, deer passages are to be expected during twilight and agricultural vehicles cause very dirty roads during harvest time. In addition, some harvesting vehicles are so dirty from use in the field that taillights and indicators can hardly be seen. Slow, extra-wide vehicles also create confusing situations in which one or the other might want to overtake. Patience is required here.

The following basic rules should be heeded when moving game: If a single animal appears, one or more other animals are usually not far away. If game crosses the lane, the following applies in an emergency: perform emergency braking and never steer so as not to leave the lane or get into oncoming traffic. By the way: blue reflectors on the delineator post indicate that there is a lot of wildlife crossing. If, despite all caution, an accident does occur: In Germany, the police must always be informed in the event of an accident with wildlife.

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

Do not always rely on the automatic lighting

Most modern vehicles already have an automatic light system: A sensor measures the brightness of the surroundings of the vehicle and automatically switches on the low beam if the value falls below a certain level. In autumn, however, with its light and visibility conditions fluctuating strongly and sometimes for short periods, it can be advisable to drive with lighting permanently so that you can be seen clearly at all times. An example of this are clouds of fog, in which the visibility conditions can deteriorate so drastically that the automatic system cannot shift quickly enough. Anyone traveling abroad should find out about local vehicle lighting regulations. In some countries, the low beam must generally be switched on, in others, however, only when driving on motorways.

Important for the use of the rear fog lights and headlights: They may only be switched on when visibility is less than 50 meters. This applies to both fog and heavy rain or snowfall. The legislature also stipulates that then no faster than 50 km / h may be driven. Fog lighting should only be used in extreme situations, as following and oncoming traffic can otherwise be severely dazzled.

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

Driver training, check on the vehicle

For 65 years now, the light test has taken place every autumn under the patronage of the Federal Ministry of Transport. The initiators Deutsche Verkehrswacht e. V. and Zentralverband des Kraftfahrzeughandwerk e. V. have been organizing free light tests in master craftsmen's workshops, automobile associations and testing organizations for all motorists since 1956. Safety training on various topics such as wetness or for new drivers can not only provide information about one's own abilities in borderline situations, but also provide targeted training for difficult driving moments.

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

Of course, that wasn't the end of it!

tuningblog has countless other articles on the subject of car and auto tuning in stock. Do you want to see them all? Just click HERE and look around. In part, we would like to provide you with news but also off the tuning. In our category Tips, products, information & Co We have reviews of car or accessories manufacturers, new ones Tuning Wiki Terms or one or the other Leak veröffentlicht. Following an excerpt of the last articles:

Icy car windows? Useful and useless tricks!

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

BILSTEIN EVO coilovers for Audi A1, VW Polo, Seat Ibiza, Skoda Scala

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

Causes & consequences of an active tire pressure indicator light (TPMS)

Safe and relaxed through autumn: 8 useful tips!

"Tuningblog.eu" - we keep you up to date on the subject of car tuning and car styling with our tuning magazine and we present you the latest tuned vehicles from all over the world every day. It's best to subscribe to ours Feed and will automatically be informed as soon as there is something new about this post, and of course also to all other contributions.

About Thomas Wachsmuth

Thomas Wachsmuth - He has been an integral part of tuningblog.eu since 2013. His passion for cars is so intense that he invests every available penny in them. While he dreams of a BMW E31 850CSI and a Hennessey 6x6 Ford F-150, he currently drives a rather inconspicuous BMW 540i (G31/LCI). His collection of books, magazines and brochures on the subject of car tuning has now reached such proportions that he himself has become a walking reference work for the tuning scene.  More about Thomas

Leave a Comment

Your e-mail address will not be published. Required fields are marked with * marked