Technology to Help you Have a Safe Journey Abroad

Driving safe both at home and abroad should be a priority for any driver who gets behind the wheel of a car. When you’re travelling abroad however, it may become even more important to consider safety. Unfamiliar roads, signs, customs and cars can make your job even more difficult and it’s often tricky to concentrate as fully as you can on safety. Due to this, it’s great to look at how new technology can help keep you safe on the road when you’re travelling abroad.

Modern Cars and Standard Safety Equipment

Before you go travelling abroad, you should always have your own car checked over thoroughly if you’re planning to take it with you. Make sure that your brakes are working well, you have enough oil, the tyres are pumped up to the right pressure and that you’re using a car with airbags if you can afford one. If you decide to hire a car when abroad, again, consider the safety aspects of which car you end up leaving the lot with.

• Ensure your rental car has airbags, the more you have, the safer you are
• Rent a car with ABS brakes if you can. These are there to stop your car skidding if you have to carry out an emergency braking procedure
• If you’re planning to go off-roading or on a variety of surfaces, look for a car with stability control, especially in 4WD vehicles
• Cars that have tyres with ‘run-flat’ ability or warning indicator lights to let you know of a drop in pressure are also worth considering if available

Visual Technology to Keep You Safe

Many people will be familiar with speed camera devices that warn you when you’re approaching a speed camera or mobile speed detection device. Some people have these in their car believing that they’re protecting themselves from the law, however, the trick is not to break the speed laws in the first place. Throughout many places in Europe it is illegal to own one of these devices so you must never have them in your car when travelling there. Slow down to stay alive and don’t rely on technology to warn you when you should be doing the legal speed limit.

A great device that can be fitted to cars to keep you safe while driving abroad is a set of rear reversing sensors or a rear reverse camera. They are relatively cheap now to fit and you can ensure that you’re always aware of what you’re reversing into. If you’re in a rental car, you may be unfamiliar with the size of the car and how it manoeuvres so having these audible and visual warnings can be a great help.

Satellite navigation systems are an often ignored safety measure when you are driving abroad. They can not only help you with your directions, but can tell you where you are if you breakdown and need help. They can also tell you how far it is to the nearest rest stop, hospital or police station, meaning that you have constant help available if you need it.

New Technology and Safety

One of the best pieces of new technology when travelling throughout Europe is the ever reliable mobile phone. If you can’t afford a car with numerous safety features, don’t have sat nav and rear sensors, then always at the very least carry your mobile phone with you. It can be your lifeline to safety should you need help and with so many great international carriers now, there’s no reason for most people not to have a tri-band or quad-band phone.

Safety when travelling means not only preparing yourself for the road, but making the most of the technology you have available to you. If you can plan ahead, use all available safety measures and try to relax, your journey abroad should be a successful one.