Its Hot, Hot, HOT!

The lovely weather we have all been enjoying in the UK looks set to continue, maybe even throughout August! This is good news for most of us, particularly those of us taking our holidays here this year, here are some top tips for travelling safely in these balmy temperatures

Carry bottles of water to avoid dehydration and store them out of direct sunlight, an insulated cool box is invaluable for keeping drinks nice and cool

Keep your children cool by giving lots of cold drinks and having a window open or the air conditioning on, regular stops to stretch their legs will also be appreciated. A stick on sunshade for side windows will help keep temperatures down

NEVER, EVER leave your child in the car – even in the shade the temperature can reach levels high enough to kill!

If travelling with your dog always keep a window open or the air conditioning on. Don’t forget to bring a drinking bowl and offer water regularly throughout the journey. Stop regularly to give your dog a break and the chance to go to the toilet. A stick on sunshade for side windows will help keep temperatures down

NEVER, EVER leave your dog in the car – even in the shade the temperature can reach levels high enough to kill!

Check your levels – always check regularly to ensure you have the correct levels of both oil and coolant, particularly during spells of hot weather, damage caused by an overheated engine can be extremely costly to fix

Check tyre pressures – hot temperatures will cause an increase in your tyre pressures, it may be only a slight increase but still worth a check

Keep a container of water in the boot when travelling in hot weather conditions, just in case your car overheats

Watch that temperature gauge! It’s a good idea to monitor the temperature of your engine, particularly if you are stuck in traffic

A radiator also uses air flow to cool the engine; if you are stuck in traffic and it doesn’t look like you will be moving for a while then turn off the engine – if you don’t have start/stop of course

If you begin to overheat pull over as soon as it is safe to do so, turn on the heater to dissipate some of the heat if you can’t pull over straight away – and open the windows! If possible try and stop in a spot shaded from the sun

NEVER remove the radiator cap of a hot engine! The heat and pressure can build to dangerous levels; always allow your car to cool down for at least half an hour before you remove the radiator cap

Don’t forget that you will use more fuel if you are using the air conditioning

When you park use a windscreen shade, this will help keep the temperature down inside the car. Cover leather or vinyl seats as they can become very hot in direct sunlight