Manheim Offers Helpful Road Trip Tips for the 2016 Christmas Driving Season

Christmas is fast approaching and so are the summer road trips, long drives and the infamous “are we there yet?!” coming from the backseat.

According to Tourism Research Australia, in the year ending June 2016, 88.9 million overnight trips were taken by Australian’s. Of these 88.9 million mini holidays, 63.6 million of these trips were taken by the use of a private or company vehicle*.

So with all the trips planned in the Festive season, including trips to the beach, visiting friends and family and exploring our great, vast land, Manheim have some helpful tips on road tripping in the holiday period.

CEO of Manheim, Campbell Jones believes preparation is the key to a great road trip.

“To arrive at your destination safely and efficiently, preparation is critical. This includes multiple tasks from preparing the car to ensuring all the conditions are safe to drive in.”

Manheim offers helpful holiday road trip tips, just in time for the summer season 

Prepare your vehicle ahead of time:

 Ensure your car is in good shape. Double check your tyre pressure, oil and water levels, and be sure you give it a wash. Riding in a clean car is always a more enjoyable experience

 Pre-set your navigation or Google Maps before departure – it will be one less thing you have to worry about when you hit the road

 If your car features any drivers assistance systems (blind spot detection, lane changing cameras, forward collision warning), make sure they’re all turned on to help you drive safely

Be ready for “just in case” scenarios: 

 Check the weather forecast – you don’t want to be caught in any thunderstorm (Australia’s weather can be unpredictable). Also, you want to ensure that you are prepared for the weather conditions at your destination

 Don’t forget the snacks! Just in case traffic is bad or you have a long drive in between petrol stations or the closest town, everyone gets angry when they’re hungry

Make sure you have a car phone charger. You’ll be glad you did, especially in the event of an emergency – some Australian roads can be long and deserted

Make good choices: 

 The no-brainers: Make sure that everyone in the car is wearing their seatbelts. Watch your speed – remember it is not worth trying to cut travel time by driving too fast

 The lesser-knowns: Christmas day is a big day of eating, socialising and being merry, so make sure you are well rested and are in good shape to drive. Take regular breaks, stopping at least every two hours. Driving tired can have serious consequences so stop for power naps or change drivers if you can

 Use technology wisely: Don’t talk on your mobile phone while driving

Preparing your vehicle, passengers and yourself for a major road trip is critical to ensuring you arrive safely. Be mindful there are many people on our road and the Christmas period makes them extremely busy

Have a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

Ends/..

Tourism Research Australia, National Visitor Survey Results, http://www.tra.gov.au/research/latest-nvs-report.html

For further information please contact:

Mathew McAuley – Manheim Public Relations
Mobile: +61 400 875 686         Email: mathew.mcauley@manheim.com.au

 

About Manheim (www.manheim.com.au)

As an Australian market leader in the provision of automotive and industrial remarketing services, Manheim offers a comprehensive range of asset management and disposal services. With almost 60 years of experience across a broad range of industry sectors, Manheim delivers high quality services on a national basis to help customers meet their fleet and asset management business objectives.

Manheim sells assets such as passenger and commercial vehicles, trucks, trailers, machinery, motorcycles, plant and equipment and written off vehicles in regular weekly and monthly auctions open to both trade and public buyers. Manheim works with dealers, manufacturers, federal and state government agencies, local government, insurers, financiers, rental companies and fleet and leasing companies across Australia and New Zealand. Based in Melbourne, Manheim employs approximately 650 team members across all states in Australia and in New Zealand. For more information on the company, please visit – www.manheim.com.au

About Cox Automotive (www.coxautoinc.com)

Cox Automotive, Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Manheim®, Autotrader®, Kelley Blue Book®, Dealertrack®, vAuto®, Xtime®, NextGear Capital® and a host of other brands.

The global company has 33,000 team members in more than 200 locations worldwide and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers a well as most major automobile manufacturers.Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues of more than $18 billion (USD) and approximately 60,000 employees. Cox Enterprises' other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, please visit www.coxautoinc.com.