If the next vacation you’re planning on taking involves a road trip, be prepared: Your vehicle is going to become a mobile family room, so childproof it accordingly. It’ll likely take a bit of time; therefore, start a couple of days before the trip. Here is how:
Get a tune-up
For smooth travels, ensure that your vehicle is in good working condition. According to the NHTSA, you should have your air conditioner, fluids, belts, battery, and tires checked by a professional mechanic. If you are driving in a warm climate or towing a trailer or boat, you might need a motor oil that has a higher viscosity.
Be well rested
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driving when drowsy is a contributing factor in about 100,000 collisions annually. Only drive while well rested, and take turns driving with another adult every couple of hours, if you can.
Give the booster seat a boost
Unsure if your booster seat or car seat is installed correctly? Eight out of 10 are not, which places kids at severe risk for death or injury.
Road trip tips always include safety
This article will provide road trip tips for you. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advises packing an emergency kit, including:
- First-aid kit
- Fully charged cell phone
- Tools to change a tire
- Flares
- Jumper cables
- Flashlight
- Warm blankets
- Water
It also is smart to invest in a plan for roadside assistance—but make sure that you know where you should call in case of an emergency and what type of assistance the policy offers.
Be aware of the sun
Equip every member of the family with sunglasses and sunblock—you might even want to place hats on your kid’s heads and buy a sunshade for the backseat. Once you leave the vehicle, cover all safety seats with blankets in order for them not to get too warm and burn an infant’s tender skin, and perform a touch test before allowing children to pile in.
Scour your back seat
Ensure that child safety locks are appropriately activated on doors and windows within reach of curious little hands. You also should remove all poisonous substances, like washer fluid, from the backseat. Then look around for any choking hazards—knobs which easily pop off, loose coins between seat cushions—and remove any possible projectiles. When the car is traveling at around 40 miles per hour, so is everything else inside of it. Breaking suddenly or getting into a collision can cause anything that isn’t strapped in to keep moving until it strikes something, like you or your baby.
Keep weight down
Store all heavy equipment low into the seat wells in order for them not to become projectiles during an abrupt stop. For the exact same reason, strollers, suitcases, and anything else stored within open cargo spaces must be battened down.
Adjust your seating posture
Make every effort to sit up straight, as slouching makes you drowsy. Sometimes people often sit way too far away from the pedals and steering wheel. Your legs must be bent in order for you to exert solid pressure on a brake pedal, and the elbows should be somewhat bent in order for you to use all of your strength to turn the wheel if needed.
Break the trip up
Every couple of hours, change drivers or take a fast pit stop. Consuming water also helps keep you more alert and forces you to take restroom breaks.
Ignore all phone calls
Even if you are hands-free, talking on a phone can be dangerous. The area of your brain which processes moving images reduces its activity by up to 1/3 when you are listening on the other side of the line. Chatting on the telephone while driving is akin to chattering on the phone and watching television—you are going to miss something, somewhere.
Trips on the road can be a great way to travel with family members, even given the present pandemic. So, go and enjoy the sites! Hopefully, the above tips will help you plan the next vacation.
Story by Brad Bernanke
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