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Journal: What’s Your Greatest Road Trip Fear?

What’s Your Greatest Road Trip Fear?

Michael Banovsky By Michael Banovsky
June 29, 2015
17 comments

While I’m not quite ready to hop into a cage filled with scorpions to “confront” these things, as you’d see on Fear Factor, there are a number of things I genuinely worry about when taking a road trip. It’s probably because, well, my trips are usually without incident: I’ve never had a flat tire, I’ve never run out of fuel, and besides a few unplanned off-road excursions, my driving experience has been quite tame as far as emergencies are concerned.

My biggest fear? Getting a flat tire at speed.

I can change a flat in my sleep—and lord knows my Citroën 2CV had a number of them until I fitted a set of new Michelins—but a flat when travelling faster, perhaps on a European holiday via the Autobahn? I’d like to think I’d be able to deal with it…but you never know.

My second somewhat irrational fear? Running out of fuel.

Sure, I’ll let the needle drop to “E” on occasion, in a car I know can go a bit “beyond”, so to speak. The trip computer in my Abarth has read “— TO EMPTY” on a few occasions, but I’ve never been stranded. Still, once the needle gets to ¼ of a tank remaining, my eyes often dart from the road to the gauge and I make mental calculations on where I’ll need to grab fuel next.

What do you worry about while on the road? 

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AJ Rossiter
AJ Rossiter

I rallycross an ’83 BMW 320i. Being of modest means, I drive it to and from every event. My biggest fear is that I will push it too hard on race day and end up braking my ride home. The problems that have occurred are usually my fault – like forgetting to tighten the lug bolts on the front wheels. That was a close one.

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4 years ago
Robbie Herrera
Robbie Herrera

I ran out of gas in my ’63 Continental during harder times. I’ve also patched up the fuel pump diaphragm of the same car when it failed. I’ve had a tire go flat at high speed. Lol. I guess I’ve experienced a lot in my young days.

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4 years ago
Jethro Bronner
Jethro Bronner

Rear end collision is my most feared thing. It’s happened to me before, in my GTV6, and there’s just nothing you can do, it’s awful.

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5 years ago
Mike Keane
Mike Keane

A few years ago, my wife and I rode our BMW R1100GS across West Africa. On the first day in Morocco, the rear bevel output bearing failed, coating the rear tyre in gear oil. I changed the bearing in a campsite.
After that, nothing worried us.

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5 years ago
Steely
Steely

Last week I set out on a trip to North Wales in my 75 gt junior, 3 nights in a b&b with some great excursions planned taking in some wonderful roads, I got the car in Feb this year and had no issues, checked everything before we set off on the 150 mile journey and gave it a good run the day before, about 60 miles in (on the hottest day recorded in the UK) it started to backfire and lose power, points were burnt out, no worries I have a spare set in the spares bag in the boot…… Read more »

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5 years ago
Wade
Wade

Off subject question: What is the Grey/Green wheel color used on the above “74 Corsa”? I’m digging it for my 75 ElCamino rallye wheels.

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5 years ago
Ian
Ian

Having an IBS-D attack miles away from a rest stop :/

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5 years ago
Willam Giltzow
Willam Giltzow

I echo Guitar Slinger et al with the fear of the “others”….I have changed a big block Chevy engine in a rest area, so there is not much mechanical to fear. Poor old Chevy was towing 7 Formula Fords in a trailer when it expired….

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5 years ago
Peter
Peter

Not Going!!!

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5 years ago
Jeremy DeConcini
Jeremy DeConcini

I agree! Not going, that is the biggest fear!

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5 years ago
Scott Marquis
Scott Marquis

Oil pressure – Temp – Tach – repeat …

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5 years ago
Ryan Argue
Ryan Argue

I went on a roadtrip with a friend up to the Arctic Ocean. We went in a (pretty) reliable 2001 M Coupe, but the potential for big problems was definitely there. 200 miles above the Arctic Circle, there’s no cell phones, no tow trucks, hell not even any traffic to pick us up. We planned rather well for it, and made it there and back, but two flats or an engine problem and we were screwed.

Got some great pictures though!

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5 years ago
Jeremy DeConcini
Jeremy DeConcini

bravo on that trip and vehicle choice!

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5 years ago
Emanuel Costa
Emanuel Costa

The ‘others’ are also my biggest fear. There’s always some guy who thinks he can pass us; cross the road in half a second or just drive from the opposite direction at 180/200 km/h without any danger… Other than that, not finding an hotel in the middle of the night in an unknown town can be a problem. Once I took off with my wife from Vancouver at nightfall and decided to sleep before Seattle. Couldn’t find anything vacant, It’s seems all canadians had crossed the border that weekend and the hotels were full everywhere. Ended up in awful hotel… Read more »

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5 years ago
teamsleepnine
teamsleepnine

my s class airstrut fail on quite trunk road.

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5 years ago
Guitar Slinger
Guitar Slinger

I have but one solitary ‘ fear ‘ if you can call it that when it comes to road trips of any length and regardless of what vehicle I’m in . That being the fear that some other idiot on the road will do something really stupid that will have a direct impact [ pun intended ] on me . Everything else ? Ahhh … been on the road since age 5 back in the day when cars were not so reliable and have learned to be prepared for 99\% of what may happen such as running out of fuel… Read more »

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5 years ago
Matthew Lange
Matthew Lange

Having already documented a [url=”http://www.petrolicious.com/autumn-drives-in-france-involve-castles-and-tracks”]detached oil line in a very remote part of France[/url] and a [url=”http://www.petrolicious.com/a-french-weekend-with-my-husband-s-daytona-mistress”]jammed starter motor at the front of a channel tunnel train[/url] for Petrolicious I think most of my worst mechanical fears have been realised on road trips.

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5 years ago