The long and daunting summer season of the UAE is always full of challenges for motorists. The temperatures can rise up to 50 degrees Celsius during the daytime, which can have a toll on any vehicle, particularly the vehicles that have not been maintained by their owners regularly. Even the most seasoned drivers can feel intimidated by extremely hot weather conditions, which can result in distracted driving and cause dangerous road situations. This is the reason why it is important to follow some essential tips that can help in neutralizing the effects of heat to make summer journeys safer and stress-free.
The National Center of Metrology in the UAE has advised people to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary road trips over the next few days as extremely hot and humid weather conditions can be observed in most parts of the UAE. However, if you have to drive in such weather conditions, it is very important to stay hydrated and adopt practices to avoid heat-related car breakdowns.
Here are the 5 essential tips for driving in the hot and humid weather conditions of the UAE.
Keep Yourself Hydrated
You need to drink lots of water throughout the day to keep yourself hydrated in the hot and humid weather conditions of the UAE. Although drinking or eating anything while driving is not allowed in the UAE, motorists should take regular breaks from driving, especially on long road trips to drink water and keep themselves hydrated. While drinking water regularly helps in avoiding the adverse effects of heat, you should avoid consuming caffeinated drinks as they can cause dehydration. The caffeinated drinks act as diuretics and promote the formation of urine by kidneys, which can lead to excessive loss of water from your body and cause serious dehydration.
Keep a Body Towel and Extra Bottle of Water in the Car
Apart from drinking water to stay hydrated, you should also have a body towel and an extra bottle of water with you to wipe off sweat if your car’s AC stops working unexpectedly or if your vehicle faces a sudden breakdown. In such a situation where you find yourself stranded on a road and have to wait for help, placing a wet towel on your head can minimize the effect of heat. You can also use the wet towel to wipe off sweat from other body parts, which helps in reducing the temperature of your body as the evaporation of water produces a cooling effect.
Keep an Emergency Kit in the Car
Driving in the hot and humid conditions of the UAE is never easy, particularly for expatriates who hail from relatively colder regions. The best bet to avoid any needless stress on a summer journey is to have an emergency kit with you that should consist of some important items you might need in an emergency situation.
Your emergency kit for a stress-free summer journey should ideally include:
- Non-perishable food items
- Jumper cable (only necessary if you are driving a slightly older vehicle)
- Torch (ideal to have extra batteries as well)
- First-aid kit
- A car charger for your mobile phone
- A spare tyre and essential tyre tools
- Umbrella
- Protective gloves
- Floor mat
- Sun glasses
Keep Your Vehicle’s Tyres Well-Inflated
All four tyres plus the spare tyre (if you are carrying one) should always be well-inflated to avoid a sudden tyre blowout situation in the hot and humid weather conditions. The tyres of a vehicle tend to absorb extra heat as road surface temperature can rise considerably during daytime in the summer season. Due to such road conditions, tyres should have the appropriate air pressure (as per the instructions mentioned in the car owner’s manual) at all times to avoid dangerous road accidents caused by a sudden tyre blowout situation.
According to a recently released traffic report, 17 road accidents caused by sudden tyre blowouts were recorded in Abu Dhabi during 2017 in which 4 people lost their lives while 20 were seriously injured. This is the reason why motorists should always be careful and keep the car tyres well-inflated at all times. Some of the modern-day cars come with the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, which can help a driver monitor the air pressure of tyres, however, if you don’t have such a system in your car, it is ideal to check tyre pressure twice a week during the summer season.
Also read: Traffic Police Urge Motorists to Maintain Car Tyres Ahead of the Summer Season
Never Ignore Maintenance of your Vehicle
A detailed maintenance checkup of your vehicle at the start of summer season and regular maintenance throughout the season can be the best way to avoid unexpected car breakdown situations. Most of the important fluids of a vehicle including coolant and battery fluid amongst others have an operational life after which they need to be replaced. Additionally, mechanical parts of engine, suspension and transmission need service and maintenance checkup on a regular basis.
A physically fit vehicle is least vulnerable to a sudden breakdown situation, regardless of the weather conditions. This is the reason why motorists should schedule their vehicle’s maintenance according to the instructions mentioned in the car owner’s manual and never miss a maintenance checkup when it becomes due.
Also read: Car Maintenance Advice for a Daunting Summer Season
Bottom-line
Driving in the extremely hot and humid weather conditions of the UAE can become a challenge for even the most seasoned drivers. Motorists should be more alert of their surroundings on a busy road to apply immediate brakes safely in the event of an emergency situation caused by a sudden tyre blowout or any other mechanical failure.
Tyre blowout incidents increase considerably during summer season and such incidents can easily cause a fatal road accident involving multiple vehicles. By following the aforementioned tips and adopting a defensive driving approach, motorists can easily avoid dangerous road situations throughout the challenging summer season of the UAE.
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