Tips on driving with a heavy load
When you have passed your test and been driving for a while, you might find yourself driving with a heavy load.
For instance if you are going on holiday then you might have lots of stuff that you need to take with you and also perhaps you will have a roofrack on the top of the car that also has been loaded. How will this affect the driving experience for you?
Well first of all you should ensure that if you have a roof rack or similar that you use one from an authorised dealer and are sure to follow all the instructions carefully in order to ensure that it is fitted and secured correctly.
One point to note is that you will find that you use up a little more fuel with a roof rack and this is because it increases the air resistance on the car so it needs to work slightly harder and therefore use more fuel to move a given distance.
When you are driving in a straight line you may not be too aware of the heavier load, but when you are going around corners you may well be more likely to notice that the car handles differently, so be particularly careful particularly when travelling with a heavier load for the first time and get suitably accustomed to the different driving conditions.
Bear in mind there is a possibility that the tyre pressure should be increased with a heavy load, the car handbook will be able to tell you about this.
If you have a roof rack, as mentioned nesure everything is secure and therefore are not going to move position when you steer and turn around corners. If something should fall off them it can be very dangerous, for obvious reasons. If the item cannot be retrieved safely then you will quite likely need to contact the police.
Related Articles...
What to do at level crossings
When you are learning to drive you may well not come across a level crossing, depending where you live. But as a driver you certainly will come across level crossings and will need to know how to...
What are driving offences
Driving offences are what happens when you do not meet your obligations as a road user.
This could be something like not having the correct documentation that you require or something much...
Show me tell me test
If you've not heard of the "show me tell me" test, then this is something
that happens at the start of the driving practical test as opposed to on the
theory test. They ask one of each of the two...
Watching others whilst on the road
You can't rely on other road users not to do something wrong. Whilst most articles on this site tend to focus on cars, there are other and particularly vulnerable road uesrs out there.
These...
How to cancel a theory test
When you book a theory test, you of course choose a date that you think you are going to be able to make.
However with the best will in the world, there are a whole range of reasons why on...
Mock Driving Theory Test
Many learner drivers are in the process of finishing A-levels or at university, and so the process of exams and tests is very familiar to you. For those that tests and exams are a distant memory, a...
Rules for learner drivers
The minimum ages and restrictions vary from one type of vehicle to another.
When you are learning to drive, you must ensure that the vehicle you are learning to drive in is roadworthy and also...
Your steering system
When it comes to driving the car, it is safe to say that the steering wheel is clearly an essential part! If you can't steer your vehicle, then you clearly cannot drive it.
There are two...
Your ignition warning light
When you turn on the electrical circuits in your car, then the ignition warning light will come on: make sure that this does indeed happen.
Once the engine itself is started, then the ignition...
What causes accidents: tailgating
Driving too close to a vehicle is dangerous for the very simple reason that you have too little time to react should something unexpected happen. And when you consider how many road journeys there...
Back to home page of driving theory test questions
