Our 9 top tips for driving long distances
Long distance driving is not for the faint-hearted. It takes a skilled person to endure multiple hours of non-stop driving.
Whether it’s for safety or enjoyment, driving for long distances needs to be carefully prepared for and considered to minimise stress throughout your journey.
Here, we’ve prepared some safety tips for long distance driving, as well as some ways to keep you and your friends/family entertained for the whole journey.
Safety tips for long distance driving
When you’re far from home, it’s important to be prepared. Driving long distances can put you out of your comfort zone, so you should always have some safety essentials close by in the event of an accident.
Breakdown kit
Most cars these days will come with some breakdown recovery essentials, like portable emergency triangles to place behind your car, and sometimes even a small first aid kit. You can find yours somewhere in the boot of your car – if your car boot has a false floor, it’ll often be found there.
Make sure you double check that this is in place before heading off. The last thing you’ll want is to break down without a way of alerting other drivers or catch a puncture without a space saver!
Take plenty of breaks
While it can be tempting to cut your journey time by driving non-stop, this is never advised. Professional long distance drivers take breaks halfway through their working day, so you should follow their guidance and take a break at least halfway through your journey.
During your break, take a toilet trip and refresh yourself – grab some food and a drink, settle down for a while, and head back out when you feel ready.
Driving abroad
If you’re a Briton driving abroad in somewhere like Europe, you’ll need to ensure your car is correctly labelled and branded. If your number plate includes the UK identifier with the Union flag, you don't need to display a UK sticker. You’ll only need to place a UK sticker on the rear of your vehicle if your plate has:
- a GB identifier with the Union flag
- a Euro symbol
- a national flag of England, Scotland or Wales
- numbers and letters only
- or if you're visiting Spain, Cyprus and Malta (regardless of what is on your number plate).
This tells other road users, and law enforcement, that your vehicle is foreign and that you may be sat on a different side to them. Don’t forget to check with your finance lender before taking your vehicle abroad!
Prepare your car
In addition to ensuring your car’s safety pack is on board, make sure you spend some time checking over your car itself before a long distance journey. Here’s a quick road trip safety checklist for you to check off once you’ve covered each point:
- Washer fluid topped up
- Brake lights functioning
- Headlights functioning
- High beams functioning
- Oil levels checked
- Tyre pressure topped up
- Fuel level
Feeling nervous about driving long distance
Especially if you’re a fairly inexperienced driver, it’s perfectly normal to feel nervous or apprehensive about your first long distance road trip. These kinds of nerves are often called motorway anxiety, and there are a few things to do to help.
Give yourself plenty of time
When you’re already nervous, the last thing you’ll want is to feel rushed. Make sure you leave with plenty of time to spare on your long distance journey. This is a great benefit if you’re driving to somewhere you’re unfamiliar with – the additional time can be used to account for any wrong turns, mistakes, or unexpected delays.
Switch off distractions
With car journeys, distractions can be deadly. Whether it’s constantly vibrating phones or loud passengers, anything that takes your attention from the road can have some pretty nasty consequences. Ask your passengers to be respectful, and close away your phone in the glove box to ensure it doesn’t distract you.
Avoid caffeine
Although caffeine has its uses, sometimes, you can have too much of a good thing. Too much coffee or energy drinks can make you feel twitchy and anxious.
Instead, try getting a good night’s sleep before your journey – this will help you wake up feeling refreshed without the need for caffeine.
Carefully choose your travel times
Travelling at different times of the day can have a major impact on your stress and anxiety.
Peak travel times – mornings and late afternoons will mean leaving and arriving at your location in and amongst hundreds, sometimes thousands of other travellers. If it’s at all possible to leave outside of these times, we recommend it. The roads will be quieter, which will allow you more time to make decisions.
Practice makes perfect
If it’s motorways or different kinds of roads that stress you out, don’t worry. There’s nothing wrong with heading out for a practice drive a couple of days before your long distance journey to help you get a feel for how things are going to go.
Motorways in particular, especially for new drivers, can be a very stressful experience. Spend some time joining, leaving, and driving on the motorway and getting a feel for the speed at which you travel. Doing this can help with settling your nerves and managing your expectations for the travel ahead.
Driving tips, news, and finance, from MotoNovo
At MotoNovo Finance, we’re passionate about your driving. Whether it’s helping you fund the car of your dreams or ensuring you get from A to B safely, our motoring blog will help you do both.
