If you have a big road trip planned for summer, you’re probably focusing on planning routes and packing the essentials, but don’t forget your breakdown cover.
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Summer
Expert advice: prevent overheating when driving in summer
It’s important to prevent overheating when driving. It’s as much of a pain for the driver as it is for the vehicle.
So, as temperatures increase, here are five tips to help keep your vehicle cool this summer.
Continue readingHoliday road trips – five hidden gems.
As the weather gets warmer, you may be thinking about a holiday road trip. Whether you just want to relax or fancy a bit of an adventure, we’re here to help you.
Here are some hidden gems for your next long-weekend road trip.
Continue readingSummer motoring hacks to help your car hang onto its value
Many of us think of winter as being the most testing season for cars. But actually summer throws up just as many challenges. Here we look at some of the main ones and offer some handy summer motoring hacks that will help you to preserve your car’s value and ensure safe, comfortable and trouble-free motoring.
How to clean bird poo off
Continue readingAir conditioning quiz: will you keep your cool?
We take air conditioning for granted now that it’s fitted in even the cheapest cars. But how much do you actually know about it? And will some of our questions about what keeps you cool make you all hot and bothered? Take our air conditioning quiz to find out.
Continue readingFour scenic drives to enjoy this summer
With travel abroad still uncertain, many people are staying in the UK. And what better way to enjoy the great British summer than with some scenic drives? Here we look at four possible routes you could take in England, Scotland and Wales. At their heart, all feature roads that are brilliant to drive on with awe-inspiring backdrops and fun activities for all the family.
Scenic drive along the south coast
Continue reading5 smart summer tips for trouble-free car trips
With restrictions in the UK lifting and school holidays approaching, increasing numbers of us will be hitting the road. And that means our cars will be getting a serious work out.
Our five summer tips are designed to ensure they – and you – cope with the miles you cover comfortably, reliably and above all safely.
Get your air con re-gassed
Continue readingPreparing for a staycation by car this summer
With continued uncertainty over whether we’ll be allowed to go abroad without extensive quarantining, 2021 is looking like the year of the staycation. And that means rather than letting the plane take the strain, a lot of drivers will be turning to their cars.
Here we look at what you need to ensure you have a dream holiday rather than a trip from hell. The key is planning. If you carry out our checks the week before you go away, it gives you options to act on them. Do them the day before your holiday and it might result in more stress than you need.
And because a lot of people will be taking their motorhome or caravan away, we’re including those too.
Start by checking the battery
Continue readingExpert advice: summer car checks for a safe, reliable getaway
Now’s the time when most of us are either going away or preparing for our summer break. And it’s when our cars come into their own as a trusty family workhorse. Below are six basic summer car checks you can carry out. They’ll only take a couple of minutes and will ensure your car performs safely and reliably while you’re away.
If you’re worried about anything, don’t hesitate to book your car in for some professional attention. Alternatively, you could take your car for one of Green Flag’s free vehicle health checks. But in the first instance, read on to see the six summer checks I think you should perform.
Pump up your tyres
Continue readingCar sickness and how to cope with it on long journeys
It’s coming up for holiday time but if there’s one thing that can spoil a long journey for all concerned, it’s car sickness. No one’s quite sure why some people feel it and others don’t. But that won’t be much consolation to whoever the victim is; whoever has to keep pulling over for the sufferer to redecorate the roadside; or other passengers who have their holiday delayed. Here we look at what car sickness is and what you can do about it.
What is car sickness
Continue readingQuiz: How much do you know about driving abroad
Over the summer holidays, thousands of drivers will be either taking their motors abroad or driving a hire car while on holiday. But how well do you know the rules of the road when it comes to driving in Europe? Our cunning quiz poses 10 travel teasers that will help you warm up to driving abroad. And if you get any wrong, try again. Knowing the right answer might save you a few quid!
Continue readingHot weather motoring myths. What you can and can’t do to beat the heat
Legal or not? Find out whether it’s against the law to drive in flip flops (Picture iStock/JordanSimeonov)
Whether it’s hot or cold, extremes in temperature pose problems for drivers. And when the weather’s doing something we’re not used to, we need to know how to react. Here we bust seven popular hot weather motoring myths.
Myth 1: it’s illegal to drive in flip flops
Quiz: Do you know how to prepare your car for summer driving?
Drivers often check their car during the poor weather that rolls in with the winter. But those everyday safety checks are just as relevant in the summer. And whether motorists are simply commuting to work or planning a great escape to France for the summer holiday season, these pointers could keep drivers and their family safe and ensure they stay on the right side of the law.
Naturally, the Green Flag blog has lots of helpful advice on how to look after a car. But to encourage more drivers to consider their car’s general condition, we thought it was time to test everyone’s car knowledge and common sense – with our summer driving quiz.
So flex those brain cells and give it a go. After all, it could help you have a smooth roadtrip this summer.
Not-so glorious mud: what to do if your car is stuck in mud
Mud, mud, glorious mud, goes the song, but it’s not something many drivers will be singing about if they end up stuck in the stuff.
Unfortunately, a combination of British weather and occasional parking venues at weddings, outdoor events and even farm shops mean it’s not just intrepid explorers who find their cars come a cropper and end up bogged down in mud. Everyday drivers do too.
So without further delay – especially for those who are, literally, stuck in the mud as they read this – here are some tips that may help get things moving again. Continue reading
In-car games: I-Spy beats iphones. Old favourites are best for long drives
Keeping kids smiling when you’re on a long trip can be a challenge
Old-style in-car games such as I-Spy are the most popular ways to occupy kids on road trips. They beat smartphones and tablets, which astonishingly, are among the least popular choices to keep young passengers happy on car journeys.
New research by YouGov for garage rating organisation Motor Codes tallied with a recent study by Green Flag which found that travelling together is an opportunity to spend quality time with the family. The increasingly popular driving holiday is seen as a time for families to ditch technology in favour of entertainment that encourages creativity, learning and laughs for the whole family.
Looking out of the window and playing age-old observational in-car games such as I-Spy were cited by more than 60 per cent of drivers as the best way to keep youngsters entertained. This was the particular favourite of 18 to 24 year olds and over 55s.
Great in-car games to play with kids
Driving holidays on the up: great places to stop on British road trips
Exploring is the main reason more than half of us love driving holidays
Forget sweltering in a steamy sun-baked airport departure lounge, the driving holiday is the new way to take a summer break for many British travellers. It coincides with the increase in popularity of the ‘staycation’ that will see a dramatic 250 per cent increase in the number of people holidaying in the UK compared to five years ago.
New research from Green Flag reveals that this summer 56 per cent of people will be driving to their holiday destination. And 13.2 million of us have already been on a driving holiday this year. If you’re one of the millions planning a road trip this summer, we’ve compiled the following list to help you break your journey.
Six great places to stop during a driving holiday
Driving abroad: Why you need breakdown cover
Breakdown cover can save wasting holiday time (Picture © TyreSafe)
Having your vehicle break down is never something you expect and when it does happen it’s frequently at the most inconvenient time. Green Flag’s Sam Jackson explains how having breakdown cover can transform what would have been a difficult experience into a minor adjustment to your trip, even if you’re in foreign climes. Continue reading
Road safety warning: Stats show summer most dangerous time to drive
Saturday July 25 is the day experts claims drivers are most likely to crash (Picture © TyreSafe)
Summer is the time drivers are most likely to come to grief on Britain’s roads according to a new road safety warning. The latest research shows that this year, Saturday July 25 at 11am is the most likely time for drivers to have a crash. Continue reading
Holiday parking: How to get the cheapest and best
You’re unlikely to park this close to your plane… but there are ways of limiting the hassle (Picture © Mercedes-Benz)
Holiday parking is a reality for millions of drivers every year. Many car owners, who decide a driving holiday isn’t for them, decide to fly instead. They have to get to the airport somehow and for many, that means driving and then leaving the car while they jet off to (hopefully) sunnier climes.
However, it’s not quite as simple as that. The car is the second most valuable item in most of our lives. We need to know that wherever we leave it, it’s going to be in a secure compound and only driven if it’s absolutely necessary and by someone who’s insured. At some airports, parking can be almost as expensive as one person’s flights. Here’s how to get the most cost-effective holiday parking. Continue reading
Motoring fines abroad: what to do if you get a ticket on holiday
Great car, beautiful scenery, precious memories: driving abroad can be idyllic – unless you break the law (Picture © Skoda)
Motoring fines abroad are one way of ensuring the holiday hangover continues long after the sun tan has faded. Whether you get nabbed by a speed camera or handed a ticket for (possibly inadvertently) parking somewhere you shouldn’t, it can be an expensive business. So what are the rules? And where do you stand if a fine from abroad drops on the door mat? Our simple guide explains all. Continue reading