After Tet, what should you pay attention to in order to drive back to the city safely and avoid traffic jams?

This year’s Giap Thin Lunar New Year holiday lasts until February 14 (the 5th day of the Lunar New Year). So right now, many families are preparing to “pack up” and return to the city, returning to their daily lives.

In fact, the gateways to big cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City after Tet holiday always witness terrible traffic jams for many hours, causing fatigue and obsession for both drivers and passengers.

Here are some tips to help make your journey back to the city safe, smooth and less likely to get stuck in traffic:

Choose the right route, should leave early

The common mentality of many families is to enjoy the full Tet holiday, so most of them start to return to the city in the afternoon of the last day of the holiday (this year is the 5th day of Tet). The large number of cars and motorbikes pouring into the city at the same time will cause traffic jams at the gateways.

Normally, the time from 3-9pm on the last day of the holiday will be the "hottest" time on the gateway routes after each long holiday. Therefore, if there is nothing too urgent, you should change the departure time to make the trip "easier to breathe".

You can time your return to the city in the morning or, more "safely", the day before (the 4th day of Tet). This will help us avoid hours-long traffic jams and give us more time to rest, clean the house, visit relatives, etc.

Choosing the right route is also very important. Usually, there will be many routes to get into the city that you can take, not necessarily the main and closest road. When preparing to reach the turning points, drivers can refer to information on the radio or use the Google map application to update, check the congestion status to choose the most reasonable route.

Check vehicle before departure

When returning to the city after Tet holiday, it is inevitable that there will be traffic jams on the gateway roads even during off-peak hours. Traffic jams for too long can cause the car to overheat, or even die in the middle of the road, taking a lot of time to fix.

Not only that, if our car is unfortunately malfunctioning, it will make the traffic jam situation even more complicated. Therefore, take a moment to carefully check the details on the car before setting off.

Just like checking your car before each long trip, you need to "check" details such as: Tires, brakes, battery, engine coolant, windshield washer fluid, car lights... to ensure your car is in the best operating condition, minimizing unnecessary risks on the road.

You should also fill up your fuel tank before returning to the city, avoiding long stops on highways and ring roads with an empty tank. If you are using an electric car, you should also make sure the car is fully charged before each long journey.

Keep a safe distance, avoid sudden braking

If you are a driver, do not be impatient when you are unfortunately a victim of traffic jams, because impatience will not make you go faster. Pay special attention to keeping a safe distance because the car in front can brake suddenly at any time and if you are not careful, you can easily crash into it. At that time, the fault is entirely yours.

When driving in traffic jams, you should minimize sudden braking, as this will cause the car behind to crash into you, taking a lot of time to resolve and making the traffic jam worse.

No "fill-in-the-blank" driving

When the road is crowded, a bad habit that many drivers have is to “fill in the gap”. Whenever they see a gap in the lane next to them, they change lanes, cut in front of the car behind them to “rise” up. If they change lanes just because they are impatient, they will easily cause collisions, making the traffic jam even more terrible.

The advice from experienced drivers is to stay calm, try to stay on the right side of the road and only change lanes when absolutely necessary, to avoid causing frustration for other road users around. At the same time, absolutely comply with the regulations and traffic flow of the authorities.

And finally, always keep yourself in the most comfortable state of mind behind the wheel. Being impatient, frustrated or losing focus when returning to the city after Tet will not only not help you avoid traffic jams, but can also harm you and those around you.