Aah! Holidays in Australia! The long ribbons of roads disappearing into the horizon, miles of open land below and blue sky above, far off sand mounds, colours of nature surrounding you, and everything simply delightful! But sorry to take you out of this pleasant dream; but it’s necessary to ask, have you prepared your car properly for the journey so that no unwanted incident could take place?

Image Courtesy: awninsurance.com.au

Of course, when you are in trouble while driving your car, your roadside assistance company is always there to help you. For example, you can get 24/7 car battery assistance in Melbourne with Roadside Response, a company known for prompt and high quality roadside assistance service. But isn’t it anytime better not falling into an awful situation than having to call roadside assistance? Here are some tips for safe driving on Australia’s roads, that will save you from the panic of breakdown of your vehicle.

Save Fuel

Running out of fuel is a common situation when the drivers need to call roadside assistance and wait till the professionals arrive. The professionals bring fuel with them enough to take you to the nearest service station. If you are in a holiday mood, it’s hard to maintain it in such a situation. So, why not avoid it? Here are tips:

• Before starting your journey, make sure that your vehicle is fully serviced.
• Check the pressure in the tyres, either using your own pressure gauge or taking the car to a service station. Right amount of tyre pressure increases fuel efficiency. It’s also best to check the tyre pressure when tyres are cold (before driving too far) so as to get a precise reading.
• As far as possible, drive at a constant speed without accelerating or decelerating continuously.
• Carry light luggage! The heavier your vehicle, the more fuel it will use up. Pack the luggage inside the car and not on top to eliminate wind drag.
• If you are driving at more than 70 km/hr, keep windows rolled up. If they are open, fuel efficiency reduces drastically as open windows allow wind drag.

Driving in the Outback

Travelling in the outback has its own charm. These secluded areas give you an escape from the hustle-bustle of city life. However you should remember that they don’t have much of people and so, services are sparse too. So, a considerable amount of time may pass till someone reaches you, should you face a breakdown. Here are some things to remember while driving in the outback:

• Always remember to carry additional food and at least ten litres of water.
• Also remember to carry a 20-litre container of additional fuel.
• Regardless of how efficient your roadside assistance company is, remember that your mobile should work in the first place to call them. Prefer Telstra to Optus.
• Consider an overnight stay at roadhouses and truck stops or simply take a nap on your car seat if you feel drowsy.
• Beware of multi-trailer trucks called road trains which can be particularly hazardous in the outback. Treat these huge monsters with respect and be careful.

Beware of Wildlife

Australia is rich with kangaroos, wombats, emus, horses, feral camels, cattle and rabbits. Often these animals will roam onto roads. So, you have to be extremely careful as you can’t say when any of them will hop directly in front of your vehicle. Kangaroos and emus are especially notorious for coming in the way and not being able to get out of it. To avoid the event of bumping your vehicle into the innocent creatures and getting stranded, avoid travelling at dawn, dusk and night when these animals are active and are not easily visible.

Image Courtesy: rtabatteries.com.au

Still, it’s the best to keep the contact details of a high quality roadside assistance company like Roadside Response at hand so that you can call them immediately in case of any hazardous situation. They will take you out of it promptly and smoothly.