A guide on cruising your ride safely on the desert

The red roads and the cactus country has its own charm and challenges that attract adventure-minded people from all over. While satisfying the adrenaline rush, one needs to focus on the safety aspects as well. Desert is a beautiful place to drive around and witness the raw and rugged beauty closely but it poses danger as well. No matter how appropriately your vehicle is packed with modern amenities and luxury features, the desert can showcase its uniquely dangerous and challenging side to one and all.

If you are planning to test your driving skills on the barren lands of Desert and explore its unhindered beauty on your way, do focus on these tips to help yourself combat the challenges associated with the trip-

1) Do not ignore your water-bottle 

It might sound childish and funny but it is not something you should ignore. Always keep enough quantity of water stocked with you while you set on to hit the desert road. The water stocked is for quenching your thirst and not for powering the vehicle on road. Pack plenty of food along.

2) Get the vehicle ready for the trip

It is always advisable to inspect your car and ensure that the vehicle is all ready to accompany you on rough roads. The fuel tank should be filled up properly. Gas stations in the desert are usually few and can be spotted lying at a great distance from another one so consider filling up on gas whenever you get the scope.  

3) Timely Service 

Make sure that the car has undergone all necessary services recently to avoid any kind of servicing-related mechanical fault popping up in the middle of the journey. Engines run hot quicker in desert so checking the coolant fluid and system before embarking on the journey will be helpful.  

4) Check Car Battery

Car batteries in semi-arid and arid temperature condition (like in desert) feature low life expectancy so keeping a watchful eye on the battery fluid level is advised. One needs to test the car batteries on a regular basis.

5) Parking

Desert has been blessed by the supreme almighty with abundant solar energy and this blessing sometime might bring a curse to the travellers riding on the desert road. Outside door handle and seat belt buckles metal generally get overheated in such extreme temperature condition. One can burn their skin by touching the metal bare hand. Try parking it under shade if possible and hold them with a cloth wrapped around your hand.

6) Firm Grip

It is advised to keep knowledge about counter steering and your car’s limit to successfully recover from car drift and avoid a rollover while driving on loose surface conditions in the desert. Try maximizing control over your 4WD by maintaining the wheels on hard surfaces and avoid hollows in the road. Needless to say, a rollover situation can endanger the lives of the car occupants.

7) Centre Of Gravity

When crossing sand dunes, it is highly recommended to drive straight up and down with no sideways course. This way your ride will gain more stability via a lower centre of gravity. You, therefore, can exercise more control and keep at bay the danger of shifting sand. The moment your wheels approach the crest of sand dunes, make sure to decelerate. You will do better to avoid hitting harmonic bumps when crossing sand dunes at a speed.

8) Tire Pressure Monitoring

Monitoring and adjusting the tire pressure as per the condition helps in achieving more vehicle stability and control as a driver. 28-30 psi is suitable for dirty remote roads and 20-25 psi is ideal for loose sand surface and sand dunes. You need even lesser tire pressure while hitting the sharp sand dunes.

9) Tools

Last but not least, stock all necessary tools to address flat tire issues and as such. Keep your tools safely stored inside your car.   

Exploring the unknown alone sound really great but in a desert, it is better not to venture out all alone. Travel in a group and tie up with two-three other vehicles. This will trigger down the risk of being stranded in the desert. Plus, opt for experienced drivers who possess considerable experience in cruising the desert roads. Keeping in mind all these can ensure a safe and good journey ahead while exploring the desert beauty.