Road trips are a great way to enjoy and appreciate life. However, every road trip has its own set of risks, and you may be anxious about traveling with your children or family. However, there are techniques to mitigate some of the dangers and ultimately relieve some of the stress that you may be having. You’ll find some safety tips below to help you get through any road trip.
Inspect Your Car
Getting your vehicle checked thoroughly before any long road trip can spare you trouble on the road. You should do a car inspection to check essential components like the battery, engine, brakes, and fluid levels. If it’s something you are not familiar with, most repair shops will perform an examination for free during routine repairs like oil changes or tire rotations, or you can pay a small amount for an inspection that may be waived if any work is required. If you would like to do the inspection of the vehicle yourself, do take the necessary steps and ensure all of your vehicle’s fluids are up to date and check your windshield wiper blades to determine if they need to be replaced.
Keep Emergency Kit
A stress-free road journey requires having certain travel basics on hand. It’s always important to carry a car charger, flashlight with additional power sources, jumper cables, a basic toolkit, reflective triangles, a first aid kit, as well as water in your emergency kit. Additionally, please ensure you have roadside assistance in the event your car breaks down because even a car that passes its inspection with high marks might have issues on the road. As with any other road trip or vacation, make sure you have your medical insurance cards, any necessary prescriptions, and emergency contact phone numbers with you. The best way to handle a potential emergency is to prepare ahead of time.
Charge Your Car
If you own an electric car you’ll need to charge your car before hitting the road. When planning a road trip, make sure to organize your itinerary around public charging stations located near roads, expressways, and other points of interest. There was an estimated 20,178 public and private electric vehicle (EV) charging points (sites) in the United States as of December 31, 2017, with 17,526 (86.9%) of them open to the public. Unfortunately, the range of an electric car is variable. When you accelerate quickly, go up hills, or utilize climate control, you’ll use more batteries. When going for chargers, keep at least a 10% buffer in mind. This means that if your vehicle has a 100-mile range, you should plan to charge no more than 90 miles apart.
Bring Your Own Snacks
What’s a great road trip is some tasty treats. So pack your own food and snacks if your road trip is likely to be seven hours short, so you don’t have to stop. However, if you don’t want to do that or your trip is longer than that, it is better to order from a drive-thru rather than a restaurant. Remember it’s important to wear a mask or fabric facial covering when talking with someone at the drive-thru window. If you have to walk into a restaurant to obtain food, better wear a mask and use a barrier to avoid touching high-touch items like door handles. There are a lot of individuals coming in and out of these facilities. That’s why you have to be so careful not to touch every surface.
Research Your Destination
Traveling to a place where there are a lot of Covid-19 cases is not a good idea. If you want a safe road trip, choose regions where there aren’t a lot of recorded cases. The CDC’s Covid-19 data tracker provides a state-by-state breakdown of Covid-19 cases. Look on the website of the local health department of the place you want to go and see what their standards are. Are masks required? What type of dining is available? Will you have to be quarantined for 14 days when you arrive? Are hotels open for booking and is parking space available? Don’t end up like most drivers in the United States that squander an average of 17 hours per year looking for parking spots. That equates to $345 in wasted time, fuel, and emissions per motorist. Doing your research will not only make your road trip safe but might also save you from a headache.
Don’t Forget The Basics Of Road Safety
As time passes and you become more comfortable behind the wheel, it’s easy to become lax about following all safety rules. Before you drive anywhere, it goes without saying that all passengers should be buckled into their seats. Seat belts are one of the most effective strategies to decrease injuries in automobile accidents, but millions of individuals forget to wear them every time they get in a car. Also, remember to watch out for other road users, especially heavy vehicles that can cause a big impact. The number of people killed by heavy vehicles increased by 9% from 2016 to 2017, totaling 4,761 deaths in 2017. Staying focused and respecting other road users can keep you and your family safe.
You might travel with your family during the pandemic, even if you don’t have a trip scheduled right now. If this occurs, driving responsibly and adhering to public health recommendations to lower your COVID-19 risk and you will guarantee that your family has the greatest and safest road trip ever.