The Importance Of Planning Your Route When Driving Abroad
18% of British drivers say that failing to prepare for a car journey abroad has resulted in them having a near miss.
If this wasn’t scary enough, 44% say that they have got lost when driving in a foreign country, and it has impacted their safety on the road. These statistics highlight the importance of knowing your route when driving in unfamiliar territory, but how much safer will you be when you plan ahead?
Less likely to break down
One of the biggest benefits of planning your route is that you know how many miles there are from your start point to your end destination. This then allows you to keep your vehicle topped up with the appropriate amount of fuel or battery charge and plan your stops to ensure that you never run out of juice. However, if you don’t prepare, get lost, and end up driving around an unknown location, your vehicle will use more fuel or battery than anticipated, which increases the chances of you breaking down. You can prevent this from happening by investing in a GPS navigation system that’s compatible with foreign travel so that it can be used wherever in the world you choose to go. These systems will safely get you from A to B by providing voice directions, time-saving routes, and touchscreen displays. Many of them will even alert you to nearby gas stations, so if you do need to top up you can do so with ease.
Stay away from dangerous areas
If you want to avoid dangerous routes and risky roads abroad that are known to be accident hotspots, you should do your research online before you travel and map out a safe road plan. Fail to do this, and you could end up taking the unsafest routes in the country and getting yourself into all sorts of trouble. For example, vehicle hijacking is common on unlit South African roads; uncleared land mines are dotted over unmarked roads in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and highways in Russia become unsteady and tricky to maneuver in bad weather. But when you take the time to determine and avoid these problem roads, you’ll have a safer and more comfortable car journey.
Safer driving decisions
When you highlight a set route, you can determine how long it will take you to get to your desired destination. This enables you to leave at a convenient time so you can get the most out of your day trip and see as many local attractions as possible. But if you drive blindly, lose your way, and have to keep stopping for directions, you’ll be late and will have lost precious time when you do finally get to where you need to be. For this reason, 42.3% of drivers are prepared to drive between 6 and 10 mph over the speed limit when they’re running behind schedule, while a further 43% say they’d drive 11 mph faster or more. Speeding certainly isn’t the answer when you’re lost abroad though, as it increases the risk of a serious road accident, and you’re more likely to lose control of your vehicle. Plus, you could end up being pulled over, fined and prosecuted by the local law enforcement.
Driving abroad can be tricky at the best of times, but when you haven’t planned your route, it can be more difficult and even put your safety at risk. This is why you should do all you can to find the best route for your journey, including researching the area and utilizing the latest technology.Driving abroad can be tricky at the best of times, but when you haven’t planned your route, it can be more difficult and even put your safety at risk. This is why you should do all you can to find the best route for your journey, including researching the area and utilizing the latest technology.