Travel Tips for a Smooth, Relaxing, and More Bearable Holiday Travel Experience
ELIZABETH - NEW JERSEY - APRIL 14: Cars are seen along the New Jersey turnpike in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Thankfully, our family will not be traveling a long distance during the holidays. We host Christmas Eve, and we go to my in-laws for Christmas Day which is exactly three point seven miles from our house.
There are thousands upon thousands of New Jersey folks who will not be as fortunate. Over one million people in the Garden State will pack their bags and trek fifty miles or more to visit friends and family. An estimated one hundred fifteen million people throughout the country will be traveling over the holidays.
To make their experience more palatable, AAA has some tips for a smooth holiday visit. These suggestions can’t guarantee a seamless journey, but they can help to make their travel time much more bearable.
Know When to Leave
The absolute worst time to travel, according to the travel company is Saturday, December 23rd between 11 am and 7 pm. If you have plans to travel on that day, try to get on the roads before 10 am. Otherwise, it is highly suggested that you just put off your travel. Maybe wait until the next day on Christmas Eve or even on Christmas Day if possible.
Get Your Car Checked
There aren’t many situations worse than sitting (or standing) on the side of the road waiting for help with your disabled vehicle. Aside from being dangerous, it’s not a fun way to spend the day.
(Photo by Jill Brady/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
Flat tires, dead batteries, and lockouts are the most common roadside emergencies. Make sure your vehicle is up to the task before hitting the road. Check the tire pressure, check the oil, test the battery, and think about keeping an extra key somewhere accessible outside the car.
Fill-up for Cheap
Gas prices will be relatively low. The national average has dropped by 22 cents since November, and prices should remain low through the rest of the year.
The World’s Most Distracting Songs to Listen to While Driving
With the holiday season approaching and people planning to hit the roads to celebrate Thanksgiving with their loved ones, a well-curated music playlist can enhance the journey. However, it’s important to choose tunes that won’t compromise your safety; some songs that may be really catchy may also be potentially hazardous. The team at Compare the Market Australia are experts in understanding how distracted driving could impact your car insurance policy. And they wanted to do their own research into the matter. The company took into account four factors to determine what songs are the world’s most distracting: BPM (beats per minute), energy score, danceability, and loudness. The higher each of these songs possesses, the more dangerous it is to drive to.
General Manager of General Insurance at Compare the Market Australia, Adrian Taylor, stated: “Selecting the right music while driving is more than just a matter of personal taste; it can be an issue of road safety. Being distracted by your favorite song could lead to you driving unsafely, which – as well as increasing the risk of an accident – could also increase your insurance premiums if you end up with tickets or a bad driving history. No matter what songs you listen to, it is important to focus on driving, both for your safety and the safety of others.”
The company analyzed the most popular driving playlist, consisting of over 500 songs on a popular streaming site. Each factor was given a score from 0 to 1, and these were then averaged together and written as a percentage to get the overall distraction score. Compare the Market Australia used an API song analysis tool to sort the music. The songs ranged from current hits to ’80s classics by Michael Jackson.
Take a look below at the ten most distracting songs to listen to while driving:
Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.
