All posts in On the Road

Road Trip Safety: Five Things You Can Do To Stay Safe On The Road

by Carsurfer Admin on 2015/10/14 in On the Road with Comments Off on Road Trip Safety: Five Things You Can Do To Stay Safe On The Road

You and your friends have been planning your upcoming trip for weeks, if not months. You can’t wait to travel across the state, or even across the country, and you feel ready to see the sights and explore what Mother Nature has to offer. But you and your friends will also spend a lot of time in the car, and if you’re not careful, you may find yourself stranded on a little-traveled road. So what can you do to ensure your next trip goes as smoothly and safely as possible?

1. Go for a Tune-up

Even if your car seems in great shape now, little problems may quickly escalate into much larger issues during your extended journey. Take your car to a professional mechanic and have him or her inspect it from the top of its antenna down to the tread of its tires. Don’t forget to check the fluid levels, battery charge, and air filter as well.

Hold onto your records of all your repairs. If something does go wrong on the road, you can bring up the issue with your mechanic later.

2. Pack an Emergency Kit

Despite a thorough tune-up, you should always prepare for the worst. If you ever become involved in an accident or if poor road conditions force you off the road, make sure you have the following on hand:

  • Water
  • Snacks
  • Blankets
  • Flashlight
  • Jumper cables
  • Flares
  • Phone charger
  • First Aid kit

Feel free to expand your emergency kit to include personal items such as insulin and other medication.

3. Plan for Breaks

Although you and your friends want to arrive at your destination as quickly as possible, remember to include frequent rest stops, breaks, and naps in your itinerary. According to the AAA Foundation, those who sleep six to seven hours a night are twice as likely to crash as those who sleep eight hours or more.

As a general rule, pull over and stretch your legs every few hours, even if you don’t feel tired or sleepy. Use the opportunity to snack, enjoy some fresh air, or take a quick nap.

If you have a strict schedule to keep, use your rest stop as a chance to switch drivers, so your driver always feels fresh and alert.

4. Familiarize Yourself with Local Weather and Roads

While your car’s GPS or your phone’s navigation app come in handy, you might not have the best signals out in the wild. As an extra precaution, bring along a physical map and carefully study any confusing roads or turns. Understand the local speed limits as well as any laws that may prohibit you from talking or texting on your phone while driving.

Furthermore, keep an eye on the skies. Just because weather looks nice when you started your trip doesn’t mean it will stay that way as you progress. If possible, search the web for traffic alerts or tune your radio to local weather stations.

4. Keep Insurance/Registration and Emergency Contact Information In Glove Box

The above tips will help you stay safe, no matter where you choose to travel. However, while you may do everything right to avoid collisions, you can’t always predict what other drivers will do. If you get in a collision, it’s important to have all updated paperwork for the other driver or police officer. If you get injured due to someone else’s neglect, be sure to talk to a personal injury attorney like Marc Johnston.

Road trips can be an exciting time when planned and prepared for. Taking extras steps can help you stay safe on the road and avoid collisions.

Road Safety: Ways to Improve It

by Carsurfer Admin on 2015/10/07 in On the Road with Comments Off on Road Safety: Ways to Improve It

All of us drivers are very well aware of how rapidly the number of vehicles on the roads increase on daily basis. Not only the traffic is becoming more frequent, the speeds are increasing too, either due to people always being late or faster and faster cars being produce. Regardless of the cause, staying safe on the roads should be everyone’s priority. This is a team effort and each and every driver needs to contribute. Therefore, here are several suggestions on how to improve road safety applicable to all kinds of vehicles and driving experience.

Buckle up

Make fastening your seatbelt the first thing you need to do before turning the engine on. And do it every time you drive. Every time. It does not matter whether you are going for a long ride or merely around the corner to get some eggs from the nearby shop. Seatbelts save lives and it is the least you can do for your personal safety. After all, how can you expect someone else to look after you when on the road if you fail to do such a simple thing as fastening a seatbelt is.

Slow down

Yes, another no brainer, most of the drivers would say. Then, how come there are so many fatal accidents with speeding as a cause? Risking yours and other people’s lives just because you are late for a meeting or want to get to the show five minutes earlier makes absolutely no sense. Furthermore, if the sign says 50, or 70, or 90 for that matter, it does not mean that you have to drive as fast. Relax, slow down 5 mph and immensely improve safety by this simple action.

Keep your eyes on the road

Do not text and drive, do not talk on the phone unless you use a hands free kit and do not reach for a sandwich at a glove department. Keep your eyes on the road at all times. You need to be aware of everything that is happening on the road, sometimes you will have to react to other people’s mistakes. Furthermore, proper road line marking makes a world of difference and is very helpful in improving road safety. There is nothing worse than an unmarked road on a dark and rainy day. Therefore, keep your eyes open.

Have a clear mind

Driving under the influence of alcohol or any psychoactive substance is an incredibly risky activity. Your reflexes, vision, orientation abilities and motor skills will all be highly influenced and the odds of being involved in some kind of an accident will skyrocket. Relying on the false feeling of supremacy that occurs in a large number of cases when alcohol and drugs consumption is in question lead to too many traffic accidents. Do not be a part of that lethal circle, drive with a clear mind and blood.

Take breaks

Remember the rule, two hours of driving demand at least a 15 minute break. Stop for a cup of coffee, stretch your legs or drink some water or juice, whatever recuperates you best and only then continue to drive. Also, before going long-distance make sure you have a good night sleep. That is an absolutely required precondition.

All these suggestions may seem familiar and common knowledge, but not implementing only a single one of them enormously increases a chance of an accident. Driving is a responsible activity and should be treated as such.

10 Interesting Road Rules in Canada

by Carsurfer Admin on 2015/08/26 in On the Road with Comments Off on 10 Interesting Road Rules in Canada

Even though cars are used in (almost) the same manner all over the world, rules of the road differ from country to country. Most countries have similar rules, and all are built with the same purpose: to keep both the driver and other people safe.

When it comes to Canada, rules are similar: you drive on the right side of the road, speed limit in urban areas is 40km/h and it is compulsory for all inside the vehicle to be wearing a seatbelt. However, there are some interesting road rules in Canada which you might not know of. Here are ten such rules:

  1. In Montreal, you may not park a car in such a way that it is blocking your own driveway (even though it is, in fact, your own driveway).
  2. In the same state, if you have parked your car in the street, it is illegal to wash it there. You can, however, wash it in your driveway, just make sure you don’t block it in the process.
  3. Cars parked in public places must be locked, and their windows must be down to less than the width of a hand. (This one boggles the mind a little. What if it rains or snows, do people in Montreal just deal with wet interiors?)
  4. In Quebec, you are not allowed to turn right on a red light. Since it is expected and legal to turn right in Ontario, people travelling between these two countries must be careful, otherwise they’ll get fined.
  5. Riding a one-horse-open-sleigh, like the one in the Jingle Bells song, is legal, but you have to make sure you have the right amount of bells attached to the sleigh or the harness. That amount is two, and if you happen to have one, or none, you might be fined $5.
  6. In Toronto, it’s illegal to ride a streetcar on Sunday if you’ve been eating garlic. No need to throw away the garlic for good though, just save it until Monday.
  7. The strangest provincial law regarding the road comes from New Brunswick. To break the law in this Atlantic province, you simply need to drive on the road.
  8. In the Province of Quebec, you can be ticketed for driving in the passing lane even if you are not blocking anyone.
  9. Quebec law requires residents to have winter tires from Dec. 15 to Mar. 15. Ontario has no such law, which means if you’re driving from Ontario to Quebec in this period, you might get fined.The fine is up to $1,000.

Some laws are freaky and most often not practiced, while others are practiced frequently. Just because a law is outdated, don’t mean some law enforcement officer somewhere won’t give you a ticket for it. Obey the law, no matter how strange it might sound to you.

If you are interested in passing the Ontario G1 practice testthat is required before you can get your driver’s license, go to Apna Toronto to see more.

Road Trip Safety: Six Tips To Protect Your Family And Your Car While On The Road

by Carsurfer Admin on 2015/08/10 in On the Road with Comments Off on Road Trip Safety: Six Tips To Protect Your Family And Your Car While On The Road

There’s nothing like a good road trip for creating cherished family memories and seeing the country. Before you hit the pavement, it’s important to check a few items off of your to-do list. At a minimum, do the following if you’re setting out on a long-range road trip with the family.=

Do Your Research First

If there are kids and spouses and involved, a road trip shouldn’t be all about spontaneity. Pick stopping points for each night and throughout the day based on the progress that you’d like to make. Look for areas with varied lodging options and decent food close by.

Get the Car Tuned Up

Nothing turns a journey into a nightmare faster than a dead alternator or a busted CV joint. Take your vehicle to a mechanic a week or two before the trip and have them inspect it. A few bucks spent on preventative maintenance can save thousands down the line.

Learn to Pace Yourself

When planning your drive, be sure to give yourself plenty of breathing room in the timetable department. There will always be unexpected delays that eat up time. Factor in stops at rest stations for the purposes of stretching your legs and staving off highway hypnosis.

Bring an Emergency Kit

At a minimum, your trunk or cargo area should be stocked with a floor jack, a full spare tire and some road flares. An emergency tire patch kit as well as some flashlights are always great choices. While you’re at it, stock some non-perishable food items such as energy bars and water in case you get stranded for a short time. You should always have a car emergency kit on hand, especially while on a road trip.

Diversify Your Assets

The worst time to find out that your debit card has been frozen is when you’re hundreds of miles from home. Keep an array of cards on hand in case one is denied. Take out a few hundred dollars in cash and hide it in your car for worst-case scenarios.

Invest in Communications

Cell phone reliability varies greatly from region to region. A set of walkie-talkies will keep you in touch if you’re traveling in tandem with another car or stopped for the night at a camp ground. Install a few messaging apps on your phone in case you have to rely on public Wi-Fi for communication.

A little planning goes a long way when you’re embarking on a cross-country trip. A lot can go wrong when you least expect it, after all. For example, car accidents can ruin any road trip. A professional like Farhan Naqvi should be contacted right away if you were injured due to someone else’s neglect. Even with all the right precautions, you can’t predict what other truck drivers will do if they are being a careless driver. If you heed the tips laid out above, you’ll greatly improve the odds of an incident-free road trip.

An Objective Insight into Sustainable Transport

by Carsurfer Admin on 2015/08/05 in On the Road with Comments Off on An Objective Insight into Sustainable Transport

As much as we hate to admit it, the undeniable truth is that our world is heavily dependent on the fossil fuels that we are rapidly running out of. Our bad habits and frequent nurturing of those habits is what created this problem in the first place, but this is not the sole issue that is caused by this phenomenon. Burning of the fossil fuels creates gasses which are filled with substances bad for the atmosphere which would on its own be a significant problem. Luckily, there is a solution to this problem: sustainable transport solutions.

Alternative Fuels

Perhaps the easiest transition for you would be to switch from fossil fuels to biofuel. By switching to this solution you will not only do your part for the salvation of our planet but also encourage this ever developing branch of industry. The only problem with this solution is the fact that it takes a lot of fertile soil (which could otherwise be used for growing food), in order to produce enough biofuel for everyone. Therefore, this, although the easiest transition, perhaps isn’t the best one after all.

A Budget-friendly Switch

Still, the issues that we mentioned earlier are only the tip of the iceberg, as using this form of transportation also creates a significant hole in your home budget which is something that you should most definitely try to avoid. First off, there is no such thing as a free transportation (apart from walking or running), but the differences are sometimes so significant that they are simply hard to ignore.

Using Public Transportation or Carpooling

The benefits of these two forms of transportation are quite self-explanatory. Using a public transportation is more sustainable, more eco-friendly, and even more budget-friendly then traveling by car. However, some people are not that comfortable with the very idea of using a public transportation so another great idea here could be to carpool with your friends or colleagues. This way, you will achieve all the above mentioned goals while still going to work by car.

Walking or Bike Riding

These two solutions are best by far, there is no question about that. Apart from being extremely good for your budget (bikes are cheap and you are required to buy them only once while walking is a completely cost free activity), they are also great for your own health and that of our planet. These methods of transportation should therefore be used whenever there is a possible for such a thing.

Even some major regions in the world recognized the benefits of bikes replacing public transportation and tried to switch to this alternative method of commute. All it took them was some will and determination, as well as a short term investment in a sufficient number of bikes and facilities that support this type of sustainable transport. This way in some of the world’s greatest cities the public transportation was all but replaced by a better, greener alternative.

The Change Comes from Within

As great Gandhi once said, be the change you want to see in the world so with this in mind always be aware that there are many things you can do to start making the change. You do not have to walk to work or switch to biofuel, just getting a hybrid or an electric car would be a significant change. You do not have to walk or ride to job every day but every now and then you could make a bike day in your schedule. Always keep in mind that in this struggle, no effort is so small not to make a difference.

Do not wait for things to just happen around you but do all that is in your power in order to create a better world. As Ovid once said, our children shall reap the fruits of our labor. We owe it to our successors to leave then a better world than we have inherited from our parents. Switching to a sustainable transport solutions might be the first step towards this goal. This is an opportunity that we simply cannot afford not to grab with both hands.

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