Travel Tips

When travelling by car rental, whether it be for business or pleasure, driving should be fun and safe. There is nothing like renting the latest model and smelling brand new interior. With each new car however, the driving experience is different.

With this new experience, you should incorporate some added precautions to make sure that your car rental is a safe one.

- Maps and locations

Before you set out on your journey, whether it be to tour the countryside or to go to your hotel, make sure that you discuss with the car rental representatives where you need to go and how to get there. Most car rental dealers have free maps and diagrams on which they can draw your path. Orientate yourself in terms of directions before you get into the car.

- Prepare the car rental

Once you get to your car, the car rental dealer may have stuck tags, stickers, emblems on the seat, hanging from the rear-view mirror, on the dash. Make sure that all of these items are stowed safely away and that your view in your car rental is completely unobstructed.

- Familiarize yourself with your car rental

Cars come in all shapes and sizes. Even if you have the same model but a different year, the placement of functions and operation of the car may be completely changed around. When it comes to turning signals, the radio, steering column, stick shift, make sure that you are completely familiar with your car rental before you set out. If you are driving at night, make sure that you know how to operate the running lights and headlights before you turn on the car. So many people familiarize themselves with their new car rental while navigating through the parking lot. Keep in mind, all the other customers in the parking lot are doing the same thing!

- Go slow at first

Make sure you spend some time familiarizing yourself with the car’s acceleration characteristics. Acceleration, brake and clutch pedals can have different levels of sensitivity. When you first start out, this is probably the most likely reason to get into an accident. Going slowly in the parking lot before you exit, it is a good idea to try the brakes a couple of times to make sure not only that they work but also that you know what will happen when you react to an emergency situation. Even after you exit the parking lot, drive slowly until you feel comfortable.

- Wrong hand drive

Finally, if you are visiting from another country, the steering wheel may be on the other side than what you are familiar with. Take extra precaution to make sure you stay on the right side of the road, especially at intersections. A good guideline for this is to make sure that the steering wheel is always closest to the center of the road. After making a turn, if you find that your steering wheel is closer to the side of the road, most likely you are on the wrong side of the road!

Getting a car rental should be safe as well as fun. Make sure you are prepared before you start off and you will have no trouble.

Happy Driving!