LeasePlan’s top tips for surviving summer driving

Most Brits love nothing more than basking in the sunshine, and Britain is experiencing a heatwave, as tropical air from the Atlantic Azores islands engulfs the nation over the next 10 days.

This will affect us all, but for those planning road trips it’s essential to be prepared. Drivers need to be informed about the hazards the heat can bring – especially as drivers clock up almost 20 per cent more miles than they do in cold weather. To make things simple, LeasePlan UK has created an easy to follow checklist for when it heats up in the summer months.

Top tips for you:

1. Never leave a young, elderly or vulnerable person alone in a car. Even with the window left open, the temperature inside the car can end up being double the outside temperature.
2. Even with a sun-visor and window open, you should not leave your pet locked in a vehicle. As with children, dogs can suffer from heatstroke so are unable to cool themselves, and this can have fatal consequences.
3. Always check the temperature of your child’s car seat. The uncovered buckles of car seats can reach such high temperatures they can cause second degree burns.
4. Dehydration is as deadly as alcohol. Severe symptoms can cause dizziness, fainting and pose a risk to drivers. During summer, there is a 146 per cent increase in driver errors due to dehydration.

Top tips for your car:

1. Check your tyres regularly. As the day heats up, so does the road and the air in your tyres. Put a reminder on your phone to check pressures to ensure they aren’t over-pressurised.
2. Avoid your car overheating and potentially damaging your engine by checking your car fluids are at the correct level. If the liquid doesn’t reach the full line on the coolant reservoir, add a 50/50 mix of water and coolant until it does.
3. If you haven’t had your car battery changed in the last five years, make sure it is replaced or tested as the heat takes a heavy toll on batteries.
4. In case of a breakdown, be sure to have an emergency kit in your car that includes items such as a water bottle, warning triangle and jump leads, as well as a reflective emergency blanket that can be used for shade.

Read your vehicle service schedule and stick to it. In extreme heat, belts and hoses which provide air-conditioning can crack and blister. And pay close attention to engine warning lights.