Are you going to the beach on vacation or are you planning to skip carnival in another city? We have prepared these tips with what driving school does not teach
Unfortunately, Brazilians only learn to pass the Detran test to be able to obtain the National Driver’s License (CNH). This makes novices unprepared to hit the road if they don’t have an experienced driver nearby to teach them.
With the holiday season at its peak and Carnival approaching, many go out to travel and the highways are crowded. If you are not used to this scenario, follow the tips we have prepared to arrive safely.
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At this time, there are always articles on the news about the crowded roads during the day. One way to avoid this is to leave very early, preferably in the middle of the night.
If you go to have coffee and pack your bags in the car during the morning, leaving around 8 am, you will get stuck in traffic because most people do the same. During the night, the highways are emptier.
But for this it is necessary to have slept well and be calm. On the road you need to be fully attentive, even if it is empty.
Another good tip is to put your luggage in the car the day before, so that the exit is faster. During the morning, every hour you are late to leave can increase the trip exponentially.
Going out at dawn can also help with consumption, since the weather is cooler and the air conditioning does not need to be at maximum. The lack of traffic also helps to spend less.
Don’t think you’re going to get in the car and drive for eight hours without stopping to your destination. The ideal is to stop every two or three hours for various reasons. The most important thing is to stretch so you don’t get body aches, even if your car has good seats.
If no one has to go to the bathroom or eat, the stop can be 15 minutes. On toll roads there are concessionaire stations with restrooms and water.
It is worth planning the stops beforehand so as not to be surprised by high prices. Who can help with recommendations for good and cheap food are truck drivers.
Brazil still has many roads that are not duplicated and truck traffic is always high. On a single track, it is necessary to be efficient when overtaking and do so only where it is signposted.
It is necessary to be patient and calculate the maneuver well, truck drivers usually signal by turning to the right when it is safe to pass it and to the left when it is not. When you have the chance, downshift and put the pedal to the metal before leaving the lane, so you can go the wrong way packed — never leave to accelerate after changing lanes.
In automatic cars, just step to the bottom and the box will understand that you need power. At this time you cannot be worried about consumption, it is better to pass quickly to be safe.
If the lane is doubled, exit the left lane right after overtaking. This lane is just for that, it doesn’t matter if you are at the edge of the road, you need to leave the left free.
Those who leave a more central region towards the beach have many chances of finding a mountain range. Both to go up and down, you need to be careful behind the wheel so as not to have an accident.
When going uphill, you need to have a strong gear engaged, forcing the engine at low revs is bad for it and still hinders the pace. Carefully enter corners if you don’t know the limits of your car.
If the car is older, keep an eye on the engine temperature. If it starts to get elevated during the climb, stop the car to cool down.
The greatest care must be taken when descending. Never do this by holding the car only on the brake all the time, this will overheat the system and take away braking power.
To hold the car safely on descents, it is necessary to reduce the gears to have the engine brake. In automatic cars it is possible to do this using the sequential mode, the numbered positions or the L. In CVT cars it is necessary to use the L position.
Holding the engine brake the rotation will rise, if the manual car never lets it pass the red range of the rev counter. In this situation there is no fuel consumption, as the movement of the wheels is keeping the engine turning. And there is no risk of breaking it.
Driving on the road requires patience. If a truck has signaled that another one is going to pass, wait. As time-consuming as this may be, it’s a greater effort for it to gain speed than for your car. Then you will resume and pass the heavy ones quickly.
Speaking of overtaking, never get in the way of others and wait for your opportunity. And reinforcing what we have already said, do not occupy the left lane, you are not a police officer to judge if the hasty person is right or not, let him pass to be free.
When driving at night, use high beams only on unlit roads and when you don’t have cars in front of you. If any appear, either in your direction or in the opposite direction, lower it to the low beam.
Also don’t drive tired or sleepy. If necessary, stop at a station to rest. By following these tips you will enjoy your vacation better and return safely.
