With mercury likely to touch 45 Degree Celsius by the end of next week, it is getting tougher by the day for automobiles to withstand the extra heat in the UAE’s extremely hot weather conditions. The challenging summer season of the UAE doesn’t only highlight the importance of a well-maintained vehicle, but also raises the need for adopting proactive measures to avoid the adverse effects of intense heat in the event of a sudden car breakdown.
Also read: 5 Easy Ways to Save your Car from Breaking Down This Summer
Why Preparing Well is Critical for a Journey in the UAE’s Hot Weather?
Planning a long journey or a road trip with family and friends in the summer holidays is quite common for the people of the UAE. However, you need to be well-prepared to avoid challenging weather conditions in the hot and humid summer season. In order to withstand the extra heat absorbed by roads in summer, your vehicle must be in perfect shape. Keeping your cool while driving in the summer can also be challenging, but be reminded that any loss in concentration due to panicked driving can result in a dangerous road situation that can put multiple lives at stake.
Let’s explore all the important practices that people in the UAE should adopt to make their long journeys in summer completely stress-free and enjoy the time with family and friends in the best possible way.
Getting a Car Maintained Ahead of Summer Season
Though a service checkup of all the mechanical parts and fluids of your vehicle at the start of summer season can be ideal, but you can get it done at any time during the long summer season as well. Along with the detailed service checkup, regular daily and weekly maintenance of a vehicle also matters, especially when you want to avoid any sudden malfunctioning of specific parts or a complete breakdown. Car maintenance bears critical importance for consistency in a vehicle’s performance in the long and demanding summer season.
Also read: Car Maintenance Advice for a Daunting Summer Season
Maintenance of Car Tyres in summer
While keeping the mechanical parts and fluids of your car properly maintained is vital, you must also keep a close eye on the condition of your car’s tyres because most of the major road accidents in summer occur due to sudden tyre blowouts. In order to avoid such a life-threatening incident, it is essential to keep your car tyres properly inflated and get the tyres checked regularly for tread condition.
While setting off on a long journey, you should also check the spare tyre as it can lose air pressure over time. The ability to change a car’s tyre on your own can be immensely helpful in case of a flat tyre situation, especially when you are on a highway and cannot seek any immediate help. It is also important to make sure that you have a car jack and other supplementary tools needed for a tyre change in your car before setting off for a journey.
For a complete guide on maintenance of car tyres, read our blog.
A Must-Have Emergency Kit for Long Journeys in the UAE’s Hot Weather
While proper maintenance of your vehicle can minimize the chances of a sudden car breakdown, having a well-organized emergency survivor’s kit inside the car is essential to keep yourself well-prepared to fight the heat of summer in an unexpected car breakdown situation.
Following is a detailed list of all the essentials that complete a survivor kit to help you withstand the scorching summer’s heat:
- Towel – Keep a couple of hand towels and a body towel with you to wipe off sweat in case your car’s AC stops working or if your car faces a sudden breakdown. In a situation where you find yourself stranded on an empty road and have to wait for help, placing a wet towel on your head can minimize the effect of heat. The evaporation from the wet towel in hot weather will give you slightly cool and damped breathable air. You can also use this wet towel on your body to either wipe off sweat or to cool down your body parts for example arms, legs and feet. You must always have an extra bottle of water with you in order to wet your towel.
- Bottle of Drinkable Water – It is extremely important that being a motorist in the UAE, you develop a habit of carrying a fresh bottle of drinkable water in your car every day. However, don’t leave the water bottle in your car for a day as the taste of water will go foul due to exposure to sunlight and hot temperature.
- Disposable Glass – Always have at least five disposable glasses present inside your car, especially if you often drive with kids. Disposable glasses are prone to damage and you might not find them easily while driving on the highway so be sure to check the glasses, which you have stored in your car on regular basis for damage and usability.
- Salt, Sugar and Spoon – In case of a car breakdown where you have to wait for help or recovery services, you would feel dehydrated very quickly. However, you can easily rehydrate yourself by drinking water that has salt and sugar mixed in it. For this purpose, you will need salt, sugar and a spoon in your survivor’s kit. Sugar and salt must be stored in an air-tight container while diabetic or blood pressure patients should consult their doctor for advice on how to rehydrate themselves in such a situation.
- Mobile Phone Credit – Always have at least one or two prepaid mobile credit vouchers to recharge your account in case if you run out of talk time.
- In-car mobile phone charger – In the event of a car breakdown, you might have to make calls for help and the last thing you want in such a scenario is to have a dead phone. This is why having an in-car mobile phone charger in your survivor’s kit is of immense importance.
- Umbrella – You must also have an umbrella inside your survivor’s kit because you might have to walk or do minor repairs like changing a flat tyre. Remember, unless you are absolutely sure, do not leave your car and try to walk along the road to look for help. Even if your car is completely dead and not showing any signs of starting again, it will still provide you protection from direct sunlight.
- Blanket – Keep at least two blankets inside your survivor’s kit. Spread one of the blankets on your windscreen in order to minimize the sunlight coming and further increasing the cabin temperature in case of a breakdown. Similarly, use the second blanket to cover the rear screen.
- Carpet or Mat – If you have to change the car tyre by yourself, you might need to do it with one or both knees on the ground. You can cover the ground with your car’s floor mat and then place your knee on it to change the car tyre.
- Protective Gloves – In case of a flat tyre where you have to change the tyre by yourself, you must have a pair of protective gloves to wear. It will almost become impossible to change the tyre without gloves because a running tyre absorbs extra heat, which makes it tough to handle. Wearing gloves will protect your hands from direct contact with the hot tyre(s) and you will be able to change the tyre comfortably.
In order to appropriately store all these items, it is best to buy a small travel bag or use an old school bag for this purpose. In this way, you will have them organized, remember that in case of an emergency, panic sets in really quickly and unless all the items are organized and placed conveniently, you will not be able to find them.
A very important thing to remember is to make sure that you do not try to start your car too many times as it will completely drain the car battery and you will not be able to charge your mobile phone or turn on parking lights if it starts to get dark.
A well-maintained vehicle and a proactive driving approach can save you from a potential car breakdown situation, but in order to make yourself prepared for any adverse circumstances while driving in extremely hot weather conditions, keeping a well-organized survivor’s kit with all the above-mentioned items can be extremely helpful. Lastly, write the emergency helpline numbers of the traffic and rescue authorities on a piece of paper and put it in your car’s glove compartment in case you need to call them for help.
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