We all know that it’s a good idea to have car insurance, and most states require you to have a minimum amount. But in Virginia, there’s a surprising exception to the car insurance requirement: the Uninsured Motorist Fee. Paying this $500 annual fee to the Department of Motor Vehicles allows you to operate a motor vehicle without having car… Read more →
Planning your next Road trip? Road trips are a quintessential American vacation, and everyone should take one at least once in their lifetime. But it can be hard to decide on a destination since there are so many amazing sights to see in the United States. Here’s a few reasons why Nashville, Tennessee should be your next pick: Its… Read more →
Summer is in full swing, and that usually means one thing: it’s time to head to the beach! Virginia Beach is the perfect place for the quintessential summer beach vacation – plenty of sun, sand, and surf in a fun area that’s not too wild (but also never boring!) If you’re a Virginia resident, you’re likely very familiar with the annual Virginia Beach pilgrimage. But we’re guessing that you’re also very familiar with one of the downsides of this otherwise amazing summer trip: beach traffic.
Lucky for you, we’re here with the inside scoop on the best times to head to (and return from) the beach in order to avoid the dreaded traffic jams. We’ll start with the day of the week:
A recent study found that Saturday is the most dangerous day to be in your car. It makes sense: a larger percentage of people in the workforce are off on weekends, so naturally they would be out and about. More cars on the road means a higher chance of getting in an accident, so plan to leave on a different day! After all, don’t you want the whole day on Saturday to lounge by the ocean?
The same study found that Tuesday is the safest day to drive. So consider giving Tuesday some love and take your mini road-trip at the beginning of the week!
Let’s move on to the best time of day to head out:
The busiest (and deadliest) time to be on the road is between 4:00pm and 7:00pm – prime time for rush hour traffic. The second most dangerous time to be on the road? 7:00pm to 10:00pm…so basically your whole evening is out.
We know all the dads out there have an “I told you so!” ready for this exact moment: we’re here to tell you to get an early start. That’s right, 7:00am to 10:00am is the safest time to be on the road. Not a morning person? If all the coffee in the world can’t get you up and at ‘em that early, then no worries – the 10:00am to 1:00pm is still pretty safe.
HOWEVER, even though heading out in the late morning is still an option, there are a few extenuating circumstances that still mean early morning is the best:
Busch Gardens
The Theme park is near Williamsburg (which is on the way to the beach if you’re heading east) and it’s always packed during the summer. It’s open from 10:00am to 9:00 or 10:00pm seven days a week, so that means that the Interstate 64 exits to the park are usually backed up. So that the later you leave for the beach, the more likely you are to get stuck in that traffic. Leave earlier and you’ll miss it altogether!
I64 Construction
While interstate construction typically occurs at night, the sections of road being worked can still be inconvenient even when construction isn’t actively occurring. Since road shoulders (or even full lanes) tend to be blocked off for the safety of the workers, the available space for traffic is condensed. Combine that with reduced work zone speed limits, and you’ve got a recipe for congestion. Leaving in the early morning when roads are less crowded and construction isn’t active means you might have a better chance of not getting delayed.
You might think that once you make it to the beach, your journey is over. But think again:
Stay cautious even after you’ve made it; Virginia Beach City had the highest number of accidents in the state between 2013 and 2017, likely because of a large number of tourists unfamiliar with the area.
So there you have it: the best days and times to head to and home from Virginia Beach. Now you can enjoy all parts of your trip, even the commute – and all we ask is that you build a sandcastle in our honor!
It happened: you got in an accident, and to make matters worse, you didn’t get the other driver’s info. Maybe you were flustered and simply forgot, maybe they wouldn’t divulge anything, or maybe it was even a hit-and-run. Regardless, the unfortunate fact is that the responsibility is now on you. But don’t panic, because we’re here to help guide you… Read more →
Have you ever wondered why essential components in your car seem to be the hardest to find? Many of us know where one or two safety features live, but it seems that in an attempt to create a universal language, car manufacturers have clogged our lives with symbols. When we’ve been outsmarted by the trunk release yet again, we waste… Read more →
Let’s be honest—how many times have you been driving in the rain and seen dozens of drivers going too fast, or zooming along with no headlights? Probably pretty often. But how are your own rain-driving skills? Are you sure you’re following the rules, too? Rainy weather and wet pavement conditions have been found to be one of the most dangerous… Read more →
You’ve saved, researched models and brands, and now you’ve finally taken the plunge and bought a car—congratulations! But before you hit the open road, you need to take care of a few things first, and that means it’s time to buy yourself some car insurance. Since you just dropped a big chunk of change on your car, you might think… Read more →
The dangers of texting and driving shouldn’t be news to anyone in 2019. Many of us have heard statistics such as “More than 3,400 people died due to distracted driving in 2016”, or “Estimates indicate drivers using cell phones look at but fail to see up to 50 percent of the information in their driving environment”. There’s an even more… Read more →
The winter season is a complicated time for drivers. The snow and ice make it more difficult to drive and the risk of an accident increases due to cars sliding all over the roads. By taking measures to improve your safety on the road, you reduce the risk of accidents and ensure that you are prepared for the difficult weather… Read more →
With advanced safety features and technology more readily available and affordable, now more than ever car manufacturers are really stepping up their safety game. Safety is clearly becoming the new standard, and car manufacturers are including safety features like crash avoidance, backup cameras, and blind-spot detection as standard features in their new models. However, it shouldn’t just be the manufacturers… Read more →
