The sports holiday weeks are often marked by slippery road conditions and challenging weather, especially if driving north. On the roads to and from popular tourist destinations, traffic pressure is also usually higher, which also increases the risk of accidents.
For this reason, Riksförbundet M Sweden has developed recommendations for how to pack and equip your car before the sports holiday trip.
Bring the right equipment
Among the most important things is to prepare for something going wrong on the road, and that you are equipped to sort yourself out if you get stuck along the way.
– Bring a tow line, snow shovel and jumper cables. Have blankets and extra warm clothes available and bring something to eat and drink. Don’t forget reflective vests, preferably for everyone in the car, if you need to move outside the car when stopped on the road, says Tony Gunnarssonexpert in traffic safety at Riksförbundet M Sweden.
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Plan your journey
Tony Gunnarsson also emphasizes the importance of planning your journey, adapting your driving style to the conditions, and being prepared for the fact that the journey may take longer than expected.
– Plan your trip in advance, take plenty of time and plan some breaks along the way. Choose meeting-separated roads where possible, keep to the speed limits and distance to other cars. Those who drive an electric car should also consider the risk of queues at charging stations during the sports holiday and that the range is shorter at low temperatures.
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Important to load correctly
According to M Sweden, it is also important that you pack and load your car in the right way, including by loading against the sides of the luggage compartment and putting the heaviest packing at the bottom.
It is recommended to avoid putting things on the hat shelf and to place instead of stand things that can tip over, so that they don’t come flying when braking hard or cornering.
The fact that the towing eye is easily accessible, instead of under all the luggage, is also good in case of towing.
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Load right on the roof
At Sportlovet, there are many people who pack on the roof, and regardless of whether you pack directly on the roof rack or in a roof box, the heaviest load must be centered, the load must be secured properly and that it does not protrude too far beyond the rail.
It is also important that you do not overload the roof of the car, and that you not only include the weight of the load in the calculation, but also take the weight of the roof rack and the possible roof box into the calculation.
Even the taxi box itself has a maximum load that must be taken into account.
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