Tips For Driving In Hot Weather

Driving in the summer heat can be very challenging and downright uncomfortable, so it’s important to make the necessary preparations ahead of time. There’s hardly anyone who would disagree on how inconvenient taking long trips under the sun’s scorching heat can be, not to mention how difficult it can be to maintain focus on the road.

Here are a few summer season preparation tips to help you stay comfortable and safe behind the wheel when summer is in full swing.

Summer Driving Tips For Hot Weather Conditions

The following tips will prove immensely useful when driving in sweltering weather conditions:

1. Maintain Your Vehicle’s Cooling System

Intense summer heat puts a lot of strain on vehicle engines. Therefore, a technician must examine your vehicle’s cooling system to ensure it can protect your car from heating.

Whenever you take your vehicle for servicing, ask the technician to check your drive belts for signs of cracking. You should also have them check for deterioration because worn parts are more than likely to fail during hot weather than any other season.

2. Check Your Battery Fluid

Car batteries are usually positioned in such a way that ensures they are protected from extreme heat, which allows them last for extensive periods. Knowing that they’re well protected is the main reason most people forget to check their batteries, especially during high temperatures.

Exposure to extreme heat and vibrations will cause a car’s battery to deteriorate quicker than it normally would, which can cause a vehicle to fail when it’s least expected. To keep this from happening, it’s essential to check if your car’s battery is secured properly; if not, you’ll need to secure it yourself or take your vehicle to an automobile repair shop to ensure minimal vibration.

Excessively high temperatures can cause a battery’s fluids to evaporate rapidly and can also lead to corrosion, all the more reason to check and clean your battery occasionally.

3. Consider Driving On Highways Instead Of Side Streets

Highways are usually more maintained and better suited to handle extreme heat compared to regular streets. Always remember how crucial it is to maintain your tires, especially as the summer months approach, because the last thing you need is for your tires to blow out on a major road.

4. Ensure Your Vehicle Has Sufficient Fluids

While different fluids are meant for different purposes in a vehicle, they all work to keep your car cool. For this reason, it’s crucial to maintain your car’s fluid levels to prevent overheating, especially during summertime when they are most likely to evaporate.

Many drivers only remember to check their vehicle’s engine oil levels and forget to check their brake and transmission fluids and even their windshield wiper fluid, which are just as important.

5. Keep Your Vehicle’s Interior Cool

Your car’s engine must have adequate cooling during hot summer days. As summer draws near, ensure your air conditioning is in good condition.

6. Keep An Emergency Roadside Kit And A First Aid kit In Your Car

We highly recommend having an emergency kit stored safely in your vehicle regardless of weather conditions. Now and then, check to make sure the kit has the necessary content depending on the weather you’re currently experiencing. For instance, you might as well take out the extra hoodie and store light cotton clothing in its stead as the weather transitions from winter to summer.

A water bottle, prescription drugs, blood pressure medication, and standard first aid kit equipment are crucial in every emergency kit. It’s necessary to have all the items mentioned above in your vehicle if you plan on going on a long trip.

7. Monitor Your Tire Pressure

Your vehicle’s tires are more sensitive to temperature changes than you think, especially during summer, so it’s important to maintain adequate air pressure as it will significantly reduce the risk of heating-related problems.

What most drivers don’t realize is that driving under extreme heat with low-pressure tires can cause them to blow out. To prevent such a situation, endeavor to check your tires at least three to four times a week to ensure that they have sufficient air pressure.

It helps to have a tire pressure gauge in your garage whenever you remember to check your tire pressure. If you have spare tires, don’t forget to check if they have enough air pressure also.

8. Stay Hydrated When There’s Extreme Heat

Avoid drinking soda-based or caffeinated drinks when driving under high summer temperatures, a more preferable would be fresh juices or ordinary water. Needless to say, it’s essential to drive sober and avoid risky behaviors. Also, never drive distracted or above speed limits.

Make sure to keep your windows open for some fresh air if your car begins to feel too stuffy and to avoid heat stroke. If you’d rather not throw them open, keep your windows cracked to allow air inside.

9. Use Some Sun Screen

Before getting behind the wheel, you might want to slap on some sun cream to protect you from the harsh sun rays. You can also share the lotion with all individuals driving with you, including children. Also, remember to use booster seats to keep your kids properly secured.

10. Plan Ahead For A Long Journey

Staying behind the wheels for hours under the sun’s sweltering heat can take its toll on any driver. There’s a huge difference between driving for 4 hours during winter and driving for 4 hours in relatively high temperatures. Drivers can quickly lose focus on the road when they start to think about drinking water, changing their sweaty clothes, or getting refreshed when they reach their destination.

It’s important to plan your journey to ensure you’re not on the road when the heat is at its peak. For instance, try to be on the road early enough to cover as much distance as possible before the weather becomes unbearably hot.

11. Sun Glare

Sunglasses can be quite handy when driving in the summer season, so you might want to bring a pair along when going for a drive, especially in the afternoons. You can as well leave a pair in the car for those days when you head out in a hurry. If you have to wear prescription glasses, there are special types that help reduce the glare of the sun while driving.

12. Car Maintenance

Each weather condition affects vehicle health, so it’s imperative to do proper vehicle checks before a new season begins. Even more so if you reside in an environment that is usually drastically impacted by weather conditions.

Even if you don’t intend to make major vehicle modifications or do full servicing, we highly recommend getting your vehicle checked out by an automobile engineer so that they can help make the necessary repairs to prevent unexpected issues on the road.

This maintenance should cover your vehicle’s motor oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, windshield wiper blades, power steering fluid, under-inflated tires, hazard lights, your air conditioning system, and everything that ensures you drive safely and stay cool.

Things You shouldn’t Do When Driving In Hot Weather

Below are some things you should never do when driving in on a hot day.

1. Don’t Let Your Fuel Level Drop Too Excessively

Note that your car’s fuel level and power steering fluid drop much faster in hot weather, so you shouldn’t rely on mere estimations as you might run out of fuel in the wrong places.

To keep from getting stranded in the middle of nowhere when the sun is at its peak, ensure to fill up your fuel tank in good time. Waiting until your fuel gauge is at its limit is not worth the risk.

2. Don’t Leave Kids Or Pets In The Car

Often guardians and parents leave their children or pets unattended in the back seat of their vehicles simply to step out for a smoke or go shopping. It’s bad enough to do this on days with pleasant weather. However, the safety risks are significantly increased during summer as a child’s body temperature rises five times quicker in a hot car than a full-grown adult’s.

Regardless of how well off you think your kids or pets are on their own or if your vehicle’s engine is turned off, leaving them unsupervised is never a good idea. No matter how fast a vehicle is going, it will most definitely be affected when under constant exposure to the sun’s rays. Much less, a stationary vehicle in which temperatures can spike up in an instant, which can be extremely uncomfortable for young children and pets.

3. Don’t Assume Your Air Conditioning System Is In Good Condition

If your car’s air-conditioning hasn’t been used for a considerable amount of time, don’t assume it will be able to power through an extremely long drive in the heat. While it might serve you for some time, it might not be as you hoped, therefore if you intend on going for a long trip make sure to get your air-conditioning system checked out by a technician.

4. Don’t Let Your Car Overheat

When traveling far distances in hot weather, there’s a chance your vehicle will overheat. Depending on your car model, there should be a warning indicator or temperature gauge that will let you know if your vehicle is beginning to overheat.

5. Don’t Allow Unnecessary Tear And Wear

Bad driving habits lie braking harshly, coasting, making sharp turns, and accelerating too quickly is all too easy to pick up and can be quite difficult to correct. Such habits can be a huge risk when driving in hot temperatures because the existing faults of your vehicle can easily be exacerbated by hot weather and the last thing you want to do is add to your car’s issues.

Final Words

Keeping your engine cool and ensuring your tires have proper pressure are two of the best ways to prevent car breaks and tire blowouts when outside temperature is in the 80s. Pack plenty of non-perishable foods, some jumper cables, duct tape, and at least a spare tire. Lastly, always bring your cell phone along for every journey and remember to drive safely to prevent a car accident.