Up to 41 ° C in Poitou-Charentes and the west of Occitanie warns Météo France, which this Thursday afternoon placed 45 departments in orange heat wave vigilance over an entire strip from Pas-de-Calais to the Ariège from north to south. All of France will therefore sweat this Friday when we expect temperature peaks at the same time as the risk of traffic jams. The heatstroke will last until the middle of next week. While holidaymakers already on the beaches are delighted, this is not necessarily the case for the very many who are about to get behind the wheel. Smart Bison displays orange in the Southwest this Friday in both directions of traffic; Saturday the whole country turns black in the direction of departures and red in the opposite direction. And this year, the fear of Covid contamination should not make people forget the right actions to not suffer too much from the heat and drive safely.
Take breaks. More than ever we stop at least every 2 hours, because the heat tires the body. “This summer with the Covid, we noticed that many motorists favor the secondary network to avoid large areas that are too populated, specifies Anne Lavaud, the general delegate of Road Safety. However, on the departmental roads where you are not encouraged to stop every 20 km, you have to anticipate the stops to locate the lake or the wood where you can stop in the cool. »Including on the highway, do not skip the stop for fear of contamination. You may, however, prefer small, less frequented areas. Don't forget your masks, they are compulsory at gas stations.
Leave sooner or later if we can. Leaving early in the morning or when the sun goes down can help avoid traffic jams such as hot weather. “If we can, we can shift these departure times. But those who are not used to driving at night must be careful not to put themselves in danger, advises Pierre Chasseray of the association 40 million motorists. And if you have to pick up the keys to your rental in the afternoon, there's nothing preventing you from arriving early in the morning and leaving your belongings in the car until the appointed time. There is no question of leaving too tired! Drowsiness is the number one killer on the highway. “If we slept badly because of the very hot night, we take a nap and leave afterwards,” suggests Anne Lavaud.
The air conditioning yes but not too much. Better not to push the air conditioning all the way. Let's face it when you leave a motorway area heated by the sun, you really want to cool your cabin, yet a difference of about five degrees between the interior and exterior is enough to feel good. Too large a gap can lead to a cold. For those who do not have air conditioning, the classic wet towels on the windows work well. Foggers are also a good option.
Monitor the mechanics. Before setting off on the road, we do a check-up of our car. “In the event of a heat wave, check the air conditioning fluid level in particular, it only costs a few tens of euros, advises Pierre Chasseray. Otherwise the compressor may snap, there the bill will be much higher. Typically, the coolant level should be monitored to prevent the engine from overheating. Also take a look at your tires, which are more sensitive to the risk of explosion in very hot weather, especially if they are underinflated.
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Never leave children or animals in the car. Even if baby is sleeping, even if you only do a “pee stop”, you should never leave a child alone in the passenger compartment. Nor his animal for that matter. In a car exposed to the sun, the heat can show very quickly and young children are more exposed, their body temperature rising five times faster than that of an adult. An American study estimated that a child left in a car in the sun could die within an hour. In the shade, the child can die after two hours.