A safe road trip is a fun road trip. While it’s true that the best road trips do have an element of risk, it should be the fun kind that comes with visiting an oddball tourist trap or trying some interesting local cuisine. But there are some very real risks whose outcomes are no fun at all.
Fortunately, those risks can be minimized through a little bit of careful planning. Keep these seven safety tips in mind when you’re planning your next road trip so that you can avoid common pitfalls and have a fun, safe journey.
1. Make sure your vehicle is in good working order.
A good road trip needs a reliable vehicle, so make sure the vehicle chosen for the trip is in sound mechanical condition. You’ll want to get the following checked as part of your pre-trip inspection:
- Fluid levels
- Air filter
- Brake pads
- Wiper blades
- Lights
- Steering
- Tires and wheels
If you have any doubts about your vehicle’s condition, it’s always better to have a mechanic find them now than to discover them yourself when you’re in an unfamiliar area, miles from any kind of help.
2. Change drivers regularly, and don’t let anyone drive drowsy.
Drowsy driving is extremely dangerous but surprisingly common. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that it causes 100,000 accidents and 1,500 deaths per year.
Switching drivers every few hours is the best way to prevent drowsy driving. Ideally, the passenger should stay awake as well to help the driver navigate and keep them alert and entertained. Everyone who will be driving should be well-rested, and drivers should avoid rich, heavy meals, as they can cause drowsiness behind the wheel.
3. Pack an emergency kit.
An emergency kit can save your road trip—and perhaps even your life. Before you go, assemble a kit of crucial emergency supplies that includes:
- Road flares
- Flashlights
- Hand warmers
- Tire changing kit
- Spare tire
- First aid kit
- Blankets
- Warm clothes
- Jumper cables
- Phone charger
- Car charger
- Fire extinguisher
- Rain gear
Keep your emergency kit in a waterproof bag in the trunk. Once it’s there, you’ll have it when you need it the most.
4. Keep in touch.
Maintain communication with your network of friends and family while you’re on the road. Make sure that someone outside your road trip crew has been informed of your trip’s destination and planned dates so that they can check-in if they don’t hear from you.
However, this doesn’t mean you should use a cell phone with your hands while driving. If it’s important for you to be able to answer calls, bring a Bluetooth headset, or use your phone’s voice assistant exclusively. Motorcyclists have the option of Bluetooth motorcycle helmet systems that can keep them plugged into their communications hands-free and sync with most major voice assistants such as Siri and Google.
5. No drinking and driving.
There’s not a single good thing to say about drinking alcohol and driving. It’s a guaranteed bad idea every time. Even a moderate amount of drinking significantly reduces your ability to operate a vehicle, meaning that drinking and driving is one of the fastest ways to turn a road trip into a nightmare.
If you decide to go out for drinks at night, pick a designated driver or use a rideshare or taxi to get back to where you’re staying. And don’t plan to get on the road before you’ve recovered because some studies have actually shown that driving hung over isn’t a smart idea, either. Rested, alert and sober is the only way to do it safely.
6. Maintain your following distance.
Tailgating is common, but it’s also a very bad idea. Nothing curdles a road trip faster than a rear-end accident, so even if you think your reflexes are all that, keep a safe following distance all the same. Stopping distances are almost always longer than you realize.
Most resources recommend using the “two-second rule” to determine a safe following distance. Choose a roadside object and start counting seconds when the car in front of you passes that object. If your vehicle passes that object in less than two seconds, give the vehicle in front a little more space. In bad weather, it’s best to maintain a following distance of three seconds or more.
7. Follow the law.
In general, things will go easier on your road trip if you stay within the boundaries of the law. By driving the speed limit, not running red lights and generally obeying traffic laws, you’ll get all the fun of the road without the hassle and danger of tickets and/or police encounters.
Make sure that you’re aware of the individual laws that apply in each state. For example, turning right on a red light is illegal in New York City, a law that has caused many tickets for out-of-towners over the years. For motorcyclists, it’s good to be aware of each state’s helmet laws (although you should be wearing a helmet no matter what the law says).
This guidance also applies to one of the most frequently-broken road trip rules: Wear your seatbelt. It might sound cliche, but seatbelts really do save lives, and you never know when a dangerous situation can arise, thanks to another driver’s negligence. Once you’ve put the seatbelt on, it’s pretty easy to forget that it’s even there.
Taking the appropriate safety precautions will make your road trip more fun while helping to ensure that everyone gets home in one piece and without any legal troubles. At the end of the day, it’s all about making the journey enjoyable–and a safe journey will be the most enjoyable for everyone.
About the Author
Andrew Moore is the marketing coordinator for Cardo Systems, the world’s market leader in Bluetooth, DMC, and entertainment systems for motorcycle riders. Formally, Andrew was a professional Motorcross racer and has spent the past 12 years traveling on his bike. On weekends, you can find him mountain biking in the summer and snowboarding in the winter with his two sons.
This piece was prepared online by Panuruji Kenta, Publisher, SEVENSEAS Media