Holiday Traveling Road Trip Tips
Taking the best traffic school online is a good way to ensure that you have a safe and fun holiday road trip, but even if you don’t take a point reduction course, here are some tips that will help you to have a better time visiting the folks this year.
Have your Car Serviced
One of the most important steps you need to take long before you head out for your road trip is to have the car serviced. This is so that you do not run into problems while on the road. Make sure that you have your brakes checked, engine tuned, belts and hoses looked at, and tire pressure regulated. Also, at regular intervals, it is advisable to make oil changes in Cary, NC, or wherever you may be. When you have your car running smoothly, you are likely to have a safe and hassle-free trip.
Winterize Your Equipment
If you live in a warmer climate and you’re going to be driving through some snowy areas, then you might need some equipment in your car that you don’t have access to. Extra blankets, an ice scraper and a snow shovel are a good start, and if you’re heading out to snowy rural areas, tire chains might not be a bad idea. You need to be prepared for all sorts of weather.
Let the Car Warm Up
The more time you give your car to warm up in the morning, the better. If you just start it up and get going down the road, you’re putting a lot of stress on the engine. It’s a little like your muscles when you go to the gym. You don’t just grab the heaviest weights you can find and start jerking them over your head as fast as possible, you do some jumping jacks and pushups first, you stretch and ease into it so that your muscles don’t tear in unpleasant ways. The same goes for your engine. If you give it time to warm up in cold weather, it will go a lot longer between repairs. If you want to warm up a family member, learn the pros and cons of gifting a car for a loved on this holiday.
Map Out Some Road Stops
You know what’s terrible? Pulling over on the side of a snowy highway to take a whiz. Worse still, when the snow is so thick that you can’t find your way back to the car. Map out some stops along the way, know how long you’re going to be going between gas stations and restaurants so you can stay stocked up on food and drinks and not have to pull over on a frozen highway for a bathroom break.
Be mindful of driving
When going on a driving trip, especially during the winter holidays, it’s essential to exercise caution while driving. Avoid excessive speed when driving on snow-covered roads, ensure your fog lamps are on for improved visibility in adverse weather conditions, and always wear your seat belt. These precautions can significantly reduce the risk of accidents. However, it’s important to acknowledge that accidents can still occur due to the mistakes of other drivers on the road. In such unfortunate situations, you may require the assistance of legal experts like Schuerger Shunnarah Trial Attorneys to help you file a case against the liable party. While we hope that such circumstances do not befall anyone, being prepared and knowing where to turn for support is a prudent step.
Don’t Try to Do It All in One Day
If you’ve got twelve hours of driving ahead of you, make it two six-hour days. Trying to make a tight timeline on frozen roads is a recipe for disaster. If you stretch it out and book a relaxing motel stay at the halfway point, you can turn a stressful and dangerous experience into a fun adventure. Really, the more time you can spare, the better. You want to be prepared if you must spend a few hours at a rest stop waiting for a storm to pass, or you have to take a detour to get around a crashed truck.
Pull Over When Visibility Is Limited
Best case scenario is your plan to avoid snow storms worked, and you have clear sailing all the way. Since best case scenarios never seem to pan out in real life, if you can’t see, you can’t drive, so go ahead and pull over until the worst of it passes. This is where the onboard entertainment comes in. Speaking of which…
Bring Lots of Stuff to Do
Books, games, movies. A winter road trip can leave you with a lot of down time. You never know when you’ll be stuck at a motel waiting for roads to clear or pulled over at a rest stop for hours. Bring plenty of food and plenty of activities and those experiences will help to create fond memories rather than bad ones.