Traffic Trouble In Europe

Europe is a good place to spend a pleasant summer vacation, but unfortunately many, many other holidaymakers think so too. A good way to avoid the hustle and bustle of the streets and escape spend half your trip in traffic jams is to avoid travel during peak hours, and to keep your radio on the traffic report if you understand the language.

There is no foolproof way to avoid a traffic jam, so prepare for these also. Take a short practical and find alternative routes out of the area. Green Flag's website offers tips and advice for dealing with road stress when traveling, visit their website for advice before you leave on your trip to the continent.

Waiting times can be exhausting, because while you and your vehicle is generally quiet on the road, you will be creeping up at times and the engine will run, which means that you can still have a collision. It could just be a little fender bender, but it is still a hassle, so aware of the road at any time.

Cars also overheat in traffic jams if the coolant is too low, so before you go on a long journey, it is topped up to just below the max line. Topping up is as easy as opening the bonnet or threaded coolant reservoir cap slowly. Never do this when the engine is warm, or you can get badly scalded. Then add the coolant (usually a mixture of water and antifreeze) and secure the cap again - easily.

When you are in traffic, should the cooling fan comes on automatically in the car before the car gets too hot. If you hear the fan while crawling along in a jam on a hot day, take it as a warning signal from your engine.

Put heater on full (maximum heat and high fan speed) would shed some heat from the engine, but make the car very hot inside, so open windows. As soon as possible, pull over at a safe place and turn off the engine.

Sometimes it may be overheating caused by something like a plastic bag to block the airflow to the radiator on the front of the car. If not, then gently lift the bonnet (the electric cooling fan continues to run) and see if there is steam escaping from anyway, perhaps from a breakdown in a tube or a hole in the radiator. If there is, you need to get this repaired by calling your European breakdown cover policy providers in green flag.

If the coolant level is simply too low to wait for the engine to cool down before topping it up, water alone is fine as a temporary solution, but make sure you get the right coolant in good time. When the engine has cooled, you can start running again, but keep an eye on the temperature gauge, if it starts to overheat again.