Follow These Safety Tips On Your Next Family Road Trip

You are bubbling with excitement while planning your family road trip. The day finally arrives; you fill up the trunk with your belongings and suitcases and get ready to hit the road.

No matter how careful you are or claim to be, anything can happen while on the road. It does not matter if you are driving for an hour, two, or several. There are certain safety tips that must be followed at all times to ensure the safety of you, your family, and the car. You don’t want your long-awaited trip to be ruined with an emergency visit to the hospital. Even if nothing happens to your health, should an accident occur, you might have to spend a lot of money fixing your car! There are a few tips to keep in mind to ensure that none of this occurs. These include avoiding distraction, getting the car serviced, sorting proper car insurance, getting enough sleep, making stops along the way and keeping a first-aid kit handy. Avoid bad situations by adhering to the following safety tips while on the road.

Avoiding distraction and keeping safe

The first safety tip is to be attentive at all costs. While embarking on a family road trip, your kids may be in the back and the longer the drive, the higher the likelihood that a scuffle or argument will occur at some point. Being the driver, your eyes must be kept on the road at all times to avoid distraction no matter what is happening in the back seats. Avoid getting emotional, avoid constantly being in conversation with those in the car and remain mindful the entire time that as the driver, you hold a fair bit of responsibility.

The distractions do not only occur inside the car but outside. Do not let other careless drivers anger you, but also avoid those drivers at all times. If your road trip is around more remote areas, you could have a deer or other wild animal jump in front of your car at any point. All these potential dangers are just further reasons to make sure you drive the speed limit. The point of a family road trip is for the entire family to bond and relax together. You do not want it ruined by being pulled over by a cop for negligent driving, or let something even worse happen.

Getting the proper car maintenance beforehand

You don’t want any last minute surprises where your car stops working mid-trip. Thus, in advance of embarking on the family road trip, you need to bring your car in for a service check-up. There is some unavoidable car maintenance where you do not have a choice but to bring it in, and then there are preventative measures you can take. Is there enough oil? Do the brakes work? Are your taillights intact? Once everything has been checked, and it is all good to go, the last step is filling the tank up with gas. Aside from gas, you should not have to stop an hour into the trip because you ran out of oil, or your windshield wipers don’t work while there is an on-going thunderstorm, and so on. You are now one step closer to being prepared for the long drive ahead of you.

Equipped with the proper car insurance

In the event that something should still happen on the drive, are you equipped with the proper car insurance? There are various car insurances you can choose from, and you need to decide which is right for you. Depending on your current financial situation, you can seek the advice of the financial professionals at Bonsai Finance, to determine what type of coverage works well with your financial situation, such as choosing comprehensive versus collision coverage. Comprehensive insurance pays for any damages that are not a result of an accident (weather, theft, etc.), whereas collision insurance covers that related to an unfortunate accident. Which car insurance is right for you? Financial advisers can help you determine the financing behind your decision.

Ensure you get enough sleep

Being the driver and responsible for everyone that is in the car with you, you need to make sure you get enough sleep before driving. Most adults require 7-9 hours of sleep in order to be alert and functioning. When you don’t get enough sleep, your senses are not heightened, and you are more prone to causing an accident. Your reaction to anything that happens on the road must be swift and strategic. For instance, should a deer jump in front of your car, a lack of sleep could cause you to react slower than normal. You can avoid these simple step backs by sleeping well.

Make stops along the way

In addition to sleeping enough, driving for long periods of time can make anyone dizzy, so it’s important to make stops along the way. As soon as you feel your eyes glazing over the road, it’s best to pull over somewhere. Consider stopping at a restaurant somewhere, or even booking an earlier hotel before you reach your final destination. If there are two adults in the car that can take turns driving, this will also make the road trip easier for both of you.

Keep a first aid kit

In the event of a minor accident, while driving, you should get into a habit of keeping a first aid kit in the car. You should make a list of certain key items to include, such as antibiotic ointments, bandages, scissors, alcohol wipes and so on. It’s always better to be prepared, than have to stop at stores last-minute to buy what you need.

Family road trips are the perfect opportunity for families to spend much-needed time together. Everyday life and work, or even school, can sometimes be stressful and everyone needs a break. However, it is important to remember to be cautious while driving at all times. It isn’t enough to be alert on the road, but the necessary preventive measures must be followed at all costs – this includes having the appropriate car insurance and bringing your car in at the service. After you have done everything on this list, you are good to go!