If you own a vehicle, you know how important it is to be aware and alert while driving. From habitual seat belt wearing to checking your blind spots before you change lanes you may think you’re an expert; however, most drivers aren’t fully prepared when a nice drive or road trip turns sour. Driving safe is important, but if you’re not prepared for the unexpected, your drive could take a turn for the worst.
Here at our Paradiso Insurance, we want to help you prepare for your trip before you hit the road, that’s why we’ve compiled a few safe driving tips for you to review
Make sure your vehicle is stocked with essentials in case of an emergency such as, flashlights, water bottles, swabs, bandages, blankets, and a spare cell phone charger. Blankets can come in handy in case your family is stuck somewhere cold and if your phone runs out of battery, that charger could save your life.
Other essentials that could help you in case your car breaks down while you’re traveling would be a car jack, a spare tire, jumper cables, and a spare gas can. Anything can happen when you’re driving and in the case that you run out of gas or get a flat tire, you don’t want to be stuck for hours waiting for help.
Additionally, make sure you understand how to change a tire on your car, as well as how to change its battery. Your vehicle’s manual usually will have instruction on how to do this, but if you need something more informative a quick YouTube search can help you. In fact, many users upload a variety of informational content daily regarding car maintenance.
It’s also important to check the fluid levels in your vehicle before you hit the road. In fact, most vehicles today will alert their drivers that fluid such as, engine coolant or oil is low. However, if your vehicle doesn’t, make sure to check it’s fluids using the dipsticks. Checking the tire pressure before you leave on a long trip is important too. If your tires are over or under inflated it could cause them to pop or go flat. Plus, having your tires at the ideal pressure will help the fuel economy in your vehicle. You can find out the correct pressure needed by consulting the vehicle manual or checking the gas door, glove box, or door edge.
You also need to remember to slow down and pay attention in poor driving conditions. While this may be obvious to a vast majority of people, many drivers still continue to drive distracted or speed on wet and icy roads. It’s understandable you want to get home during the 5 o’clock rush hour, but you shouldn’t risk your or other drivers’ lives doing so.
The next step safe driving tip is to teach your children proper car etiquette. Children can get antsy on long road trips and can be a major distraction to drivers. Therefore, it’s important to teach them that being reckless such as, taking off their seatbelt or yelling at siblings can be a major distraction and cause the driver to get into an accident. Keep your children entertained on the road with small snacks and educational apps that don’t need data or WiFi. Of course, playing some family car games such as, I Spy can ease the stress children may feel while traveling.
Finally, it’s important to make sure you have the proper coverage on your vehicle. If you are hit by an uninsured vehicle or hit someone else, and don’t have the proper policy to cover the damages that’s more money out of your pocket. Plus, if you’re making monthly payments to a car loan, an accident could run you into even more trouble. For instance, if that vehicle is damaged or totaled, you’d still have to make payments out of pocket towards a vehicle you no longer own. However, with the proper policy you won’t have to worry. In fact, our agency can make sure you have no liability gaps and the correct coverage every time! So, before you hit the road make sure to take a few moments to practice these safe driving tips. Do you have any things you do before a long drive? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
