Tools To Utilize When You Drive a Rental Car
Practical Tools to consider when renting a car
Traveling for the holidays often means renting a car when yours in the shop or once you get off an airplane. Ideally, we'd all rent a car that we're familiar with, such as our own, but that's not always the case.
Depending on when and where you rent a car, your choices may be slim but if you have a choice, here are some things to request and use in a rental car, especially when you're traveling in unfamiliar territory.
Reconsider Using GPS
GPS can be extremely helpful, particularly when you're driving on highways and interstates that you've never traveled, but they can also be complicated to use, force you to take your eyes off the road, and even give you inaccurate results.
Instead, consider taking advantage of navigational apps that deliver results in real-time. Heading to Florida for the holidays? Florida NavMap is a "must have" navigational tool for residents and tourists, alike. Not only does it give you access to the traffic conditions in real-time but the free online tool also lets you see where there are road construction and other areas that may delay your travel.
Use Hands-Free Options
Although most states ban texting and driving, and more are starting to ban the use of all handheld devices while driving, your state's laws may be different from those where you're renting a car. Not only should you find out the distracted driving laws for the state you are driving in but also use a hands-free option whenever possible (and regardless of the law).
Ideally, you should avoid making a phone call or using your device at all but if you need to, a hands-free option is less dangerous and allows you to keep both hands on the wheel.
Request A Vehicle With Safety Features
Most of today's newest cars have top-of-the-line safety features which include blind spot detection, lane departure and forward collision warnings, as well as back up cameras. While many rentals are newer vehicles, the company may opt out of some of the safety features.
When renting a car, take a look at your options and request a car with safety technology, if possible. You may have to pay more for the technology but it's often worth the cost of feeling a little more confident and secure as you drive.
Go For The Wi-Fi
If you have the option of having Wi-Fi in your rental car, you should take advantage of that tech feature. Not only can it help you stay better connected and use apps more easily but you can also save on roaming fees and other charges to your smartphone bill when you travel.
A Tip For Using Technology in a Rental Car
Before you drive the rental car off of the lot make sure you've figured how to use all the features in the car and then focus your attention on the technology. Make sure you've tested everything out and asked questions before you hit the highway so you can focus on the drive and not how to use the technology.
