If you’re planning on going out on a long journey with your vehicle, you need to make sure that you prepare your car correctly. Safety is paramount, but then there are always matters of trying to make sure that you keep on a budget so that you can afford this vacation in the first place!
A few pieces of advice to follow to ensure a safe and relaxing journey include that you should inspect the engine of your vehicle, test your wheels and your brakes, and get a car safety kit so that you’re prepared in case of an emergency. And before you head out on the road, you should always take a moment to go over the defensive driving techniques that you should keep in the back of your mind.
Inspect the Engine
Your car isn’t going to make it very far if you have engine trouble. So before you go on a journey, make sure to do your regular fluid level check and a visual inspection to make sure nothing is too out of order. If you love your vehicle, but your engine is incapable of making the journey that you want, you might look into buying a used car engine and getting it up and maintained before you head out.
Test the Wheels and the Brakes
Getting a blowout on the highway while traveling to your vacation destination is not an ideal situation. So be sure to test the tire pressure on your wheels and do a visual inspection to make sure there isn’t anything wrong you can see. Do a test run at different speeds as well as make sure that your brakes work as you expect them to, and there isn’t anything that sounds like too much squealing or squeaking coming from your undercarriage when you hit the brake pedal.
Get a Car Safety Kit
Purchase a basic car safety kit, or put one together yourself. This should always be with your vehicle, especially for traveling in unfamiliar areas. There will probably be some tire repair equipment, some road flares, small traffic cones, and maybe a few first-aid items. It should be just enough to keep yourself out of danger in the case of any small vehicular emergency.
Remember Your Defensive Driving Theories
And as much as you prepare your car for the journey, you need to prepare yourself as the driver as well. And for the most part, this means that you should scan over your old defensive driving theories in your mind. They probably told you them in driver’s training, and you have slowly forgotten them. You need to assume that everyone else on the road is a danger, and it’s up to you to make sure that you keep control of your vehicle and are prepared for any aggressive or lousy driving on the part of other people on the road.
