Road Trip Safety
Summer is fast approaching and with it comes vacation time and of course, road trips, hence the article title: Road Trip Safety. It can sometimes be tempting to hop in your vehicle and just go, when your sense of adventure gets the best of you. However, it really is better to plan your road trips…for safety reasons, of course. Also, it will save you a lot of time, money, and frustration if you plan your trip, rather than doing it on the fly. Listed below are several road trip safety notions for you to review before you get out on the open road this summer.
Road Trip Safety Tips:
1. Make sure you the have the necessities. Road maps (yes, paper ones because you never know when your GPS may fail you and they aren’t 100 % fail proof), jumper cables, cell phone charger adapted for use in a vehicle, emergency credit card, first aid kit, all necessary/emergency phone numbers, etc.
2. Plan your route carefully, by pre-programming your destination addresses, if you’re using a GPS unit. Make reservations for lodgings or overnight stays in advance. When choosing lodging, try to keep your overnight stays in well populated areas, if at all possible. This helps to avoid finding yourself in desolate or lowly populated areas, where it’s easier for you to become a victim or robbery or car-jacking.
3. Snacks. It’s best to pack a cooler with ice and bottled water/drinks. Also, packing snacks such as fruit, nuts, granola, and sandwiches is a great way to save time (less stops) and money, as well. Having water and snacks will make those long, desolate stretches of highway easier to swallow.
4. Children. When traveling with children, make sure you’ve brought along things that will entertain them for long stretches of time. Bored children tend to get restless when trapped in a moving vehicle and can easily become a distraction to adults who are driving.
5.Packing. Pack in order of importance and use. Place items you will need to access most frequently, on top, while packing less needed items closer to the bottom of the stack.
6. Fatigue. Get plenty of sleep the night before your intended departure. Make somewhat frequent stops where you can get out of the car to stretch and move around. Don’t over do it, or push yourself to continue driving past the point where you’ve become sleepy. Driving while drowsy is extremely dangerous. You begin to lose important faculties needed for safe driving, when you become fatigued.
Road Trip Safety – Before Leaving the Drive Way:
Vehicle Maintenance. Ensure that lights, turn signals, and windshield wipers are in proper working order. Check tires for accurate pressure. Also, check all fluids and top of any that are low. Make sure that the miles you are putting on your vehicle during your road trip aren’t going to put you over mileage on your last oil change. If it is going to, go ahead and get an oil change on your vehicle before you head out. Lastly, fill your gas tank before you leave.
These are just a few main tips to make your summer road trip safe, fun, and memorable. As convenient and carefree as it sounds to throw caution to the wind, jump in your car and see where life takes you; the reality is that you may end up costing yourself a lot more time and money than you bargained for. Not to mention, immensely decreasing your chances for a safe road trip. Road trip safety is imperative if you are not seeking the type of adventure that could land you riding in the front of a wrecker service vehicle while your car is towed along behind, several hundred miles to the closest sign of civilization, or on a stranger’s phone begging someone you know to come and rescue you.
For more information about road tip safety, or driving safety in general, all you have to do is visit a defensive driving course today!
A Sense Of Humor Defensive Driving
7920 Glenview Drive
Richland Hills, TX 76180
817-577-8854
topic: road trip safety
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