So you're ready for a March Break adventure? There are thousands of miles of beautiful roads ahead of you that lead to fantastic beaches and attractions, exhilarating theme parks, delicious restaurants, and quiet retreats. Along the way however, there could also be traffic jams, wrong turns, and sky high gas prices.
The first time driving a van for anyone is a different experience. Vans don't handle like a sports car, or even a midsize sedan. Your van rental will be longer, taller, and have different sightlines than the average vehicle.
Imagine never being able to see other vehicles on the road until they are in front of you.
Now imagine trying to do this in a car rental vehicle you're driving for the first time. Anytime you step into a vehicle, especially a vehicle you're unfamiliar with, safety and taking the precautions necessary to protect yourself and your loved one's becomes priority number one.
Do your palms clam up at the thought of black ice and whiteout conditions? Would you rather spend the day at the dentist than 20 minutes trapped in rush-hour traffic? Well, you're not alone! Bad driving conditions can drive even the most experienced rental car customer crazy.
Try as you might, sometimes you can't avoid manual transmission car rentals. When automatic isn't an option, remember these 10 quick tips for driving a stick.
1) Understand How Things Work
Think your aggressive driving is acceptable on the roadways? Think again. Yelling, gesturing and retaliation aren't just unacceptable actions, they're down right unsafe (and often illegal). From tailgating to speeding, aggressive driving causes many independent car rental drivers to lose their cool behind the wheel.
If you're thinking about planning an international road trip with friends, you may want to consider skipping the following destinations.
At first glance, freeway driving seems relatively simple: there are no intersections, stoplights or pedestrians. The chance of getting into a collision on a freeway is slim – and yet, the collisions that do happen on these roadways cause more vehicle and damage due to higher speeds.
How many of the following driving boo-boos have you committed lately? Car Rental Express looks at the top ten worst driving habits and how they affect our daily commute.
10. Tailgating
Did you know…
• Texting while driving increases your chances of being in an accident by 23%?
• Nearly one in five fatal distracted-driving crashes in 2010 reportedly involved cell phones?
• That 32,885 people were killed in the U.S. last year due to distracted driving accidents?