The arrival of September has meant a return to routine and normality. With them, traffic returns to the cities and the feared traffic jams. During peak hours, the routes of entry and exit to the big cities will be blocked, which coincide with the beginning and end of the working days, and so will the areas near the educational centers, since part of the parents who later go to work they tend to go by car to drop off the minors at school, which can create confusion and heavy traffic in these areas when entering and leaving school.
Traffic jams don’t just waste time. They are also one of the scenarios in which a car can use the most fuel. Driving in the city is the moment in which a vehicle registers the most fuel costs, since braking and starting, as well as driving in low gears, are the moments that require the most fuel.
The easiest way to avoid traffic jams is to check the traffic in real time, both in the navigation applications and in the DGT bulletins, and try not to drive or circulate during these hours. Of course, this solution is not always viable, although it is possible to try to leave with a little more margin from home to avoid traffic jams making us arrive late.
Tips for driving during a traffic jam
When we already find ourselves in a traffic jam, there are several tips that can be applied to avoid, on the one hand, losing patience and, on the other, reduce fuel consumption. The first thing to do is accept the situation and always stay in the same lane, preferably the right one. This way, we won’t hinder traffic even more. It is also important to keep a safe distance from the car in front to avoid collisions and to promote fluidity, since if we have enough space we can drive at low speed and not have to brake and accelerate.
If we are completely stopped and our car does not have a Start&Stop system, we can think of turning off the engine contact to reduce fuel consumption. Of course, we must always be attentive to traffic so that, when it resumes, we can start on time. If our car is more modern and we have this system included, it is best to use it and not disconnect it.
Obviously, to prevent the gear change from suffering, we must leave the car in neutral every time we are stopped. We can also use the handbrake if we see that we are stopped for a long time.
