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When it comes to a summer road trip, it’s not just about the destination – it’s how you get there. From the original purple mountain majesties to towering skyscrapers, there are many roads worth traveling. Some of our favorites are listed here.

Avenue of the Giants: This 31 mile stretch of California 101 will take you right through the biggest trees in the world: the giant redwoods! Pro tip: Check out Hipcamp for a cool spot to stay overnight in the redwoods.

Bluebonnet trail: Nestled between Austin and Houston is the Bluebonnet trail, covered in wildflowers. Pro tip: Visit between March and May, when the bluebonnets are in full bloom.

The Road to Hana: The road to Hana is a 52 mile drive on the island of Maui from Kahului to Hana down winding roads and passing roadside fruit stands through tall trees and cliffside views. Pro tip: Once you reach Hana, grab lunch at Bruddah Hut BBQ. You won’t regret it.

Lake Shore Drive: With breath-taking views of Lake Michigan and towering skyscrapers, this is a must-drive if you’re taking a trip to Chicago. You’ll drive right past Soldier Field, Navy Pier, Lincoln Park Zoo and more. Pro tip: Stop for a famous Chicago hot dog (all the condiments, please!) or a deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati’s.

Blue Ridge Parkway connects Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive with the Great Smoky Mountains. With beautiful sunsets and mountain backgrounds, your jaw will hit the floor. Pro tip: Check out the Humpback rocks at the north end of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

If you find yourself mostly using your car for weekend trips, you could really benefit from Metromile pay-per-mile insurance. Metromile offers a road trip bonus, so you won’t be charged for any miles you drive above 250/day (150/day in certain states). Get a free quote here. Safe travels!

Did you know that April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month? There is a time and place for Snapchatting your friends, but it’s not when you’re behind the wheel. With new and exciting technology, it has become more and more tempting to take your eyes off the road.

While distracted driving comes in many forms, cell phone use is at the top. The below tips will help you keep your eyes on the road.

1. Get clear on where you are going before you depart. Don’t wait until you are halfway down the block to set your destination address. Waze, a navigation app, can detect motion and confirms if the driver or passenger is the one using the phone.
2. Put your phone in the backseat where you can’t reach it. If you think you’ll still be tempted to reach around, turn off your sound and notifications so you won’t feel the digital pull. Even better, turn your phone off!
3. Download DriveMode from AT&T. When enabled, you can customize an auto-reply that will respond to all incoming messages.
4. Ask passengers to respond to any texts you’re worried about missing.
5. Don’t rely on Bluetooth and voice commands. These commands can still be distracting and take your attention off the road.

Drivers aren’t just “texting and driving anymore,” they are distracted by every smart aspect of their phone. Don’t put yourself in danger either – speak up if you’re in the car with someone who is distracted while driving. Safe travels!

Spring is here! We’re enjoying the newly blossomed flowers and fresh air, but we’ve got some important tasks to complete at home. It’s time for spring cleaning, and that includes car maintenance.

Keeping your car clean will not only keep it looking great, it will also help the car maintain its value. Don’t want to spend the big bucks to have it cleaned at a car wash? We’ve sourced some of the best household items you can clean your car with from across the interwebs.* We recommend testing these in a small spot on your car before cleaning the full area. Check them out:

• Use a hair conditioner that includes lanolin to wash your car and give it a freshly waxed shine.
• After it rains, pour a cola over the windshield to get rid of streaks and blotches, then wash off with water. Be sure to put a towel along the bottom of the windshield to protect hood paint.
• Spray shaving foam on your mirrors and wipe to see more clearly.
• After your dust your dashboard, add more shine by rubbing a little olive oil in with a clean cloth.
• If you have leather seats, use a damp cloth and neutral detergent to clean, then dry with soft washcloth. For fabric seats, spray water mixed with a neutral detergent and wipe down with a damp cloth, then a dry cloth. Leave your windows open to allow your car to dry completely.
• Lost the new car smell? Cut a lemon in half and leave it in the car for 24 hours to freshen up your car’s scent.
• Don’t air dry after washing your car: use a soft terrycloth and a squeegee to soak up any excess water and avoid streaking.

Mechanic Matt also recommends you keep your car in tip-top shape to keep it healthy and reliable. Check out his tips here. Metromile is dedicated to keeping your car in its’ best possible condition, and even offers an “Ask a Mechanic” tool through our app to help decode check engine lights. Sound interesting? Learn more about Metromile’s pay-per-mile insurance offering here.

*These suggestions are ideas found from different blog posts and news sites across the internet, and have not been tested or endorsed by Metromile. Be sure to test (or ask your dealer) what works best on your car before trying these at-home remedies.

No matter how minor, being in a car accident can really jolt you (pun not intended). To ease the burden and shock, familiarize yourself with the following tips about what to do before and after an accident.

Before the accident
Be sure to keep your vehicle registration, auto insurance and emergency contact list in your car, and always carry your driver’s license with you when driving. Keep a set of orange cones or warning triangles in your trunk to help alert traffic in the situation of an accident.

At the scene
Before worrying about anything else, make sure everyone is OK (including people in the other car), and call 911 if anyone is injured. Then immediately move everyone (and your car if possible) to a safe location on the side of the road.

Once in a safe space, be sure to call the police to file a police report, and use your smartphone to take pictures of the damage. Before the other party departs, exchange information and take down their insurance information, license plate and a photo of their driver’s license. Notify your insurance company immediately and be ready to provide them with this information. If you are a Metromile customer, you can easily file your claim online or call us at 1.888.595.5485.

In case of phantom accidents
In the case of a hit and run, be sure to get as much information as possible, especially a full or partial license plate if possible. If there are any witnesses, get their contact information. Avoid fixing the car until the damage has been assessed by an adjuster.

In the case of stolen car, call the police as soon as possible to file a report, and then contact your insurance company. If you are a pay-per-mile customer, the Pulse can be used to help locate a stolen car (it’s happened in the past!).

The Aftermath
At Metromile, a customer service advocate will reach out proactively to help ensure the claims process goes as smooth as possible. No other leading insurance company does this! They will track your progress and help you with any questions you may have about resolving the claim.

If you are a pay-per-mile insurance customer and are in an accident, you can reach the Metromile claims team 24/7 at 888.215.9176. Whether you need help locating repair facilities or need an update on work being done, Metromile can get you the information you need. We’ll do everything we can to get you back on the road as quickly and safely as possible.

There are a lot of cars on the road — 253 million to be exact. And the more cars there are on the road, the more chances there are for traffic, accidents and pollution. As cities begin to combat automotive saturation with new technology, it’s becoming pretty clear that fewer, yet smarter, cars is a key component of the future of transportation. To embark on a long trip, you could hop in a self-driving car, optimize the route to get to your destination as quick as possible, and also pick up a few passengers along the way. Many of these seemingly far-fetched concepts are already becoming a reality, which our CEO Dan Preston explores in a recent Medium article.

The article highlights the three trends that we are already seeing progress with today: the rise of the ridesharing economy, new insurance models that incentivize driving less and the introduction of self-driving cars. As innovation is used to optimize the number of cars on the road and the way we drive, we should see the positive impact that having fewer, yet smarter, cars will have on our environment, economy and everyday lives. In fact, we recently ran a study with the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale and found that if everyone in the US reduced their driving by 6%, potential benefits could include saving 2,400 lives and $26 billion in accident-related costs

You can read the full article here, and stay tuned as we continue to investigate the latest trends in which technology meets transportation.

We typically don’t associate fall with many extreme weather conditions, but as (the hopefully resurrected) Jon Snow would say in Game of Thrones, winter is coming. So when the leaves start to change outside, some of your driving habits might need to change as well. We aren’t talking anything drastic, but by being aware of the changing weather and traffic conditions, you can potentially avoid costly mishaps.

Be mindful of the littering of leaves.
We often marvel at the vivid colors of fall foliage, but they can actually be quite hazardous. Admiring the changing leaves while behind the wheel means you are a distracted driver and don’t have full focus on the road. When it rains, wet leaves can become almost as dangerous as ice, causing cars to skid and lose control. Even when it isn’t raining, fallen leaves can mask important road markings, potholes and more. We aren’t suggesting that you place a bulk order for leaf blowers, but it’s probably a good idea to have a heightened sense of your surroundings.

Adjust to new traffic patterns.
Even if you aren’t heading back-to-school, there is still a chance you will be affected by those who are. Not only could there be more cars on the road during rush hour, but you will have to be aware of new obstacles such as children running into the street or a school bus making frequent stops. And come Halloween, you should be mindful of an onslaught of ghosts, skeletons and mini-Elsas. …

At first glance, Lane Courtesy Month might seem like a trivial occasion, joining the likes of National Accordion Awareness Month and Turkey Lovers Month (also in June). We aren’t saying that you have to care about all of these “months”, but we are saying that certain occasions might deserve more attention than what they first suggest. Lane Courtesy Month is one of them.

So what exactly is “lane courtesy”? It isn’t letting someone cut in front of you in the cash-only toll booth lane. Lane courtesy is defined as the practice of yielding to or moving over for faster-moving traffic. It’s an often undervalued yet important aspect of smart driving. There’s a good chance you will get a ticket for driving 85 MPH on a road with a 65 MPH speed limit, but did you know you could also be cited for driving too slow in the left lane? Every state has a law restricting left lane usage and police are starting to crack down. It might sound like an inconsequential offense, but hogging the farthest left lane can lead to unnecessary traffic and accidents.

The reason why it is so important to leave the left lane clear is because it primarily used for passing, and if there are too many cars or a car is going too slow, it makes it much more dangerous to do so. In fact, 10% of all highway accidents are caused by changing lanes. It’s fine to use the left lane to pass a car, but once you do, move back over to the right as soon as it is clear. Even if you think you are driving at the correct speed limit, or above it, chances are there is still someone that’s going faster and wants to pass you.

A benefit of practicing lane courtesy is that you could get to your destination faster. Smooth flowing traffic means that highway capacity is optimized, which means less traffic. It’s also better for gas mileage. Vehicles use the most fuel when accelerating, so if you aren’t lane hopping, there will be less volatility and less gas usage. We can’t say road rage will totally diminish, but hopefully there will be fewer angry drivers!

If you want to continue on your smart driving endeavors, try downloading the Metromile driving app. It helps organize and optimize your trips by allowing you to see how your speed varies on each trip, how much you spend on gas and how long your drive is.