She says . ... .

Press, 23 October 1980, Page 11

She says . ... .

The warmer weather is now nearly upon us, and already many car-owners will be thinking about Christmas holidays — planning their itineraries and trips. As if the price of fuel is not encouragement enough, remember that driving vast distances in a day is not wise: it is very tiring, and tired drivers are dangerous drivers. Nor have I ever been able to see the sense in trying to take a holiday by wearing yourself out behind the wheel, and wearing the family out as passengers. People differ in the amount of travelling they can comfortably tolerate, but with children I believe that no

more than about 200 km, or four hours driving, is the practical maximum for any one day . . . and personally I’d rather keep it to 150 km and three hours. You will need to add at least an hour to this for comfort, food and fuel stops. Terrain enters into it: twisting, hilly roads mean more time and fewer kilometres. Travelling in the, heat .of the day is often' unpleasant: many families find that a dawn start, with the trip ending at noon, make for a happy holiday. Others prefer to set' off. when the heat of the day has passed, reaching their destination in the late evening. Do, please, make sure the car’s warrant of fit-

ness is renewed well before the Christmas rush: do it in the next few weeks and it will last you until the end of the summer. Don’t'forget the trailer or caravan’s warrant, either. Also have the car’s vital parts checked in plenty of time: tyres (if you need a new one, it may. take a couple of weeks to order), battery, engine tuning, exhaust .system, fan-belt, water hoses. As the time gets closer, and everyone, in the family wants to. take three times as much gear as they will need, it’s also worth remembering that a, roof-rack . will ; increase your, fuel consumption quite noticeably.—Barbara Petre.