Nowadays a simple trip downtown often turns into a frustrating and exhausting adventure. Impossible parking, countless red lights, never-ending construction, and the constant threat of car theft can change even mild and polite person into a malicious and gloomy beast.
However, it is not so difficult to make urban driving easier. You can contribute to this both when choosing a car and driving your vehicle on the road. Here are some tips that will help you to make nasty urban driving less stressful and more enjoyable.
1. Choose a good car
You can easily find a place at the street parking if you car is of fitting size. Even the paid parking lots seem to have spaces only for “compact” cars. Possessing a smaller car ? in width as well as length ? will not only make your city parking much easier but also prevents your vehicle from dings, dents and scrapes.
2. Think carefully over the type of transmission
Manual-transmission cars are funny, less expensive and fuel-efficient. However, driving them in stop-and-go urban traffic may be very stressful, especially in big cities. So, if you are going to spend much time on city roads think over this point carefully.
3. Calculate the mpg
If you drive frequently in city, you know that a city driver inevitably gets worse fuel mileage. This point should be considered especially carefully when buying a car. Just compare the sky-high cost of fuel with the manufacturer’s lowest mpg numbers, and you’ll have some idea what to expect at the filling station.
4. Use parking assist technology
The electronic chime of parking assist will help you squeeze into small spaces without any trouble. It may also prevent you from running into a person or object behind you. Nowadays rear parking sensors are very often offered by car manufacturers. High-end models of some cars have an optional rear-mounted camera instead. The camera allows you to see what’s going on behind you.
New technologies make parking very easy. Special parking devices just inform whether your car will fit into chosen space and then help the car steer itself into perfect position.
5. Mind the mileage when drive
When driving in the city, many people speed up just to slow down. When you lean on the accelerator then on the brake again and again, you’re hurting both your car and your gas mileage. Toy should go lightly on the accelerator and coast where possible. And never try to get around the city on less than a quarter tank. City gas stations are not only very expensive but often hardly available.
6. Stick to the lane
Remember that changing lanes frequently can safe you only several minutes but greatlu increases your chances of collision.
7. Mind your cabin’s air filter
City driving is often accompanied with smog and soot. Your vehicle’s air filter aims to protect you and your passengers from breathing the polluted air. Not replacing your old air filter in time may be very dangerous for your lungs.
8. Make your car theft-resistant
While driving and parking in the city, it is impossible to be too careful. Always park your car in areas, which are well lit and with many pedestrians nearby. Never leave valuable things that can attract somebody’s attention visible in the car. And of course, you must secure your car by layering it with anti-theft protection like a starter disable switch, a wheel lock and a car alarm.
9. Use navigational aids
If you are new to a city driving will be especially difficult for you. Townspeople know which roads should be avoided but strangers do not. That’s why before driving in a city you’d better to get a map and study your rout carefully. There is a great deal of various guides which can help you to drive in a unfamiliar city. Among them Thomas Guides, downloadable cell phone maps and custom maps. Perhaps, the most useful maps for urban driving are its laminated city maps because they cover only a specific city area, are easy to fold and work with, and last forever
If you do get lost, take a deep breath. Just drive to a safe area and ask somebody for directions. Easy isn’t it? Let’s admit that everyone sometimes may need help.
10. Get ready for rush hour
Some drivers just hate city especially on rush hour. During this time, if you unable to leave early or late to miss the busiest time for traffic, bring a book to read, your favourite novel, perhaps, the Bible, a magazine or paper, something to pass the time.
11. Always try to estimate the time
Driving in the city, especially in unfamiliar one, may be very stressful, if you are not aware of when you need to leave to get to where you are going comfortably on time. One of the most important tips in driving in the city is to leave much earlier than you normally would to get to your destination prior to morning rush hour traffic. The same should be done in the evening. Always listen to the radio to find out where there are traffic jams and accidents, so you will be aware of what is going on around you and so that you may avoid those areas.
12. Have a right attitude
Of course, driving a good car gives you a feeling of freedom and independence. But being on city road, try not to feel like Formula One driver. Just relax, maintain a comfortable speed, and stay out of the right lane on multi-lane roads.
With these driving tips, your experience will become a much more pleasurable one. Avoiding the trouble areas, bringing something to do and knowing where you are going — here are the simple ways of making your driving more than just a way to get somewhere. Make your next trip an exiting, stress-free adventure by keeping these tips in mind and don’t forget to fuel up!