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.

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