8 Safety Tips for Your Next Family Road Trip

9th December 2019

I love going on a road trip; whether it is in this country or another; just knowing that you are heading somewhere for a night away or more is so exciting — packing up the car, and discussing what you are going to be doing and the fun you’ll have — it’s such an exciting thing to do as a family. Doing a road trip abroad is such a great way to explore a country and see so many parts of it that you wouldn’t have if you were flying and I loved getting to see so much of Spain and Portugal when we went on our month-long trip a few years ago.

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If you’re planning a road trip with your family, it is so important to do some simple things before you go to make sure that everyone is kept as safe as possible. If you are unfortunate enough to break down on your journey then you want to get things sorted as smoothly as possible, and keep everyone safe whilst doing so. So it’s worth spending a bit of time making sure you have prepared properly for your trip.

I’ve partnered with Kwikfit to share this guide, with some really important safety tips for your next family road trip, so that you can have a safe and happy journey and an amazing trip!

Road Trip Safety Tips

Give your car a health check

It’s so important to give your car a bit of a check over before you go. Make sure you have a full tank of petrol, check the oil and water levels and check the tyre pressure and pump them up if they are low. Most petrol stations have an air pressure pump that you can use, or you can keep your own in the boot.

It’s also a good idea to make sure you have enough windscreen wiper fluid in the car — it may not seem like a big deal to run out, but driving on big roads can make your windscreen filthy and it’s not safe if you can’t see where you’re going! Also, make sure your wiper blades are still in a good condition and that they clear the windscreen properly.

Even if you don’t clean your whole car before you go make sure that all of your windows are clean so you can see properly out of them. As well as this, it’s really important to make sure you have a spare tyre in the boot and that it is pumped up! It is one of those things that is easy to forget or think that you won’t need it, but if you happen to get a puncture it will make it so much easier and smoother for you if you can change it yourself instead of waiting for a breakdown service. It can be a good idea to keep some jump leads in your car too.

Speaking of which, it’s a good idea to make sure you have appropriate breakdown cover for your journey and have the details you need including a phone number saved in your phone and written down so you can find it as quickly as possible if you need it.

If you don’t want to or don’t know how to do all of these checks yourself, you can go to a place like Sandown Mercedes who can give your car a full service or maintenance check so that you know that your car is safe before you set off.

Make sure your car seats are fitted properly

You may presume that your children’s car seats are installed properly, but so many actually aren’t which is really scary. You can go to fire stations in this country and they will check if your car seats are installed properly. It’s free and could save lives.

In the U.K., nearly two-thirds of children are in car seats that are either installed incorrectly or not the right type for their age which is so terrifying. These mistakes increase a child’s chances of being seriously injured, but luckily it is easy to do something about it, so make sure to get yours checked especially before any long journeys.

Also, it’s a subtle vehicle enhancement, but making sure your seats have the right covers will help keep your trips both tidy and safe. The right type of seat cover will not only protect your car’s interiors. Perfectly fitted covers will also lengthen the lives of your seats, giving you the assurance that you and your loved ones are in safe hands. Get a car seat cover made out of durable materials – you know how kids are, spills and wipes are expected to happen!

Get a holder for your phone

Make sure that you have a holder that is attached to your car near the steering wheel to put your phone in so that you aren’t tempted to pick it up. This way you can still use your phone as a sat nav if you want to and you can see it easily whilst you are driving. Make sure that you input your destination before you start driving and check any routes, have your music hooked up ready to go and connect it to your cars Bluetooth if you have it — many cars now have buttons or switches on the steering wheel to allow you to change volumes or switch songs safely.

Make sure you have a charger too, so your phone is always charged in case you need it in an emergency.

And even more importantly…

Ignore calls and messages whilst driving

Don’t even think about picking up your phone to answer or make a call or read a message whilst you are driving. Everyone always thinks they will be fine just sending a quick message, but it is so dangerous and people have been killed on the roads because someone just ‘quickly checked their phone’.

Kwik Fit found that 19% of drivers admitted that they sometimes take calls while driving, 17% admit that they read texts off of their phone, and 12% send texts. All of these reasons (including using your sat nav) can result in a penalty if the police pull you over and find that it was distracting you, and that is certainly not the worst thing that could happen.

Kwik Fit has created a little tool that you can use to test your reaction times whilst you are driving – you can test yours here: Kwik Fit Driven to Distraction. I did it and it’s surprising (and scary) how much slower I was at ‘stopping’ when I was reading the phone. It’s just not worth it.

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Put together a little safety kit for your car

It’s always a good idea to have a little safety kit that lives in your car, just in case you were to break down or get stuck somewhere for long periods of time. You can then add more things to it when going on a road trip, like spare blankets, an old towel and some simple snacks such as dried fruit or granola-type snack bars.

Your kit should contain things like a small torch and extra batteries, bottles of water, a first aid kit, paracetamol, duct tape, wet wipes and a spare phone charger.

Get enough sleep beforehand and break up the trip

It is so important to make sure that you get a good nights sleep before your trip — being tired really does slow your reaction times. During the journey, if you are feeling very tired then make sure you stop at a Services or somewhere else that is safe (and open your window slightly until you can stop) — then get out the car and get some fresh air, walk around and have a coffee and some water. Your body needs a regular break from driving so it’s important to break the trip up and make regular stops.

Get the kids sorted

Keep the children entertained during a road trip so that they don’t distract you too much, plus it stops them getting too bored and asking “are we there yet???” a million times! Have some music they (and you!) like ready to play and have a tablet loaded up with games or a film for them to watch. Sticker or colouring books are also good to have to keep them occupied and I’ll often get a cheap new one to give to my daughter to make her enjoyment of it last longer!

Make sure it is all within easy reach of your child so that you don’t end up trying to do gymnastics to pass them something whilst you’re driving.

Put your seatbelts on

This may seem like a simple or obvious one, but wearing your seatbelt can save yours and your family’s lives. I’m always shocked by how often I see children in moving cars without a seatbelt on and it makes me so sad; I just don’t understand it. By wearing a seat belt, you can cut the risk of being injured or killed by 50%. Also, make sure that children aren’t wearing their coat whilst in their car seat as it’s really dangerous — in an accident, the coat will decompress leaving a gap between the child and the straps meaning they can fly out.

I hope these road trip safety tips have maybe made you think of something you might not have remembered or something you hadn’t thought about before.

Have a safe trip!

This is a paid partnership with Kwikfit.

One response to “8 Safety Tips for Your Next Family Road Trip”

  1. […] consider the ease of getting the kids in and out of the car and how well the vehicle accommodates your family’s lifestyle. If you enjoy outdoor activities, a car with towing capacity or roof rails for sports equipment […]

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