I have a confession to make. I hold a drivers licence but I hardly drive. It’s something I’d love to change. Getting my licence in Denmark where we drive on the right made it a big change to move to the UK and getting used to cars and bikes driving on the left. I know that it would be helpful to drive more. Especially as my boys grow up. Being able to take them to after-school activities. To go on holidays. Yet it will require a few brush-up lessons and then keeping it up by driving regularly. At the moment Daddy Long Legs is behind the wheel whenever we go anywhere.
London, where we live, certainly can seem daunting when it comes to driving but in principle, the traffic often moves slowly as there are so many cars on the road. I think confidence also comes with knowledge. Knowledge of what to do in an emergency and to know what is fact and what is fiction when it comes to road safety.
FOUR TYRE MYTHS FOR CITY DRIVERS
Do you know how to change a tyre? Perhaps you do and it’s a good thing as you don’t want to get stuck. Yet how much do you about tyres? I did some research and looked into some common myths about road safety.
ONE: Temporary spare tyres can be used as regular tyres
This is a myth. It’s not uncommon to assume that you can carry on driving as normal after you’ve changed a flat tyre. The spare tyre can be a lifesaver and save you being stranded. Yet, they are called a spare tyre for a reason and should only be used in an emergency situation. They don’t give the same amount of performance or road grip. It is therefore important that you have your spare tyre replaced with a normal one as soon as possible. It is not meant for daily driving.
TWO: Checking your tyre with a tyre pressure monitoring system alone will tell you if you need a new replacement.
Again this is not true. A tyre pressure monitoring system only tells you about pressure. Not the overall health of the tyre. It is therefore very important that you have your tyres professionally checked regularly.
THREE: You can continue to use tyres even when they are a little worn.
This should be obvious but I guess for a lot of us we don’t necessarily worry as we might not realise we are driving with worn out tyres. Yet, it can be extremely dangerous and therefore it’s important to have them professionally checked regularly. If your tyres are showing signs of wear and tear like bulges, you need to get them replaced from a reliable local garage.
For London drivers, there are many such professional tyre garages. So, don’t procrastinate and replace your old tyres now – car tyres in London are available at local places like DAT tyres and all you have to do is book online.
FOUR: You don’t actually need speciality tyres like winter or summer ones.
Again not true. Each tyre type has its own speciality and using the right one for the season improves road safety. This can be harder to grasp when
CONFIDENCE ON THE ROAD
Are you a confident driver? Do you enjoy driving? I really hope that once the baby is here and I can actually fit behind a wheel again that I can start to drive more. Caspian is car mad (as a lot of four-year-olds) and I’m sure he can’t wait to actually drive a car. In the meantime, I do want to show him that Mummy isn’t afraid and I want to be able to take both boys on adventures.