Follow These 6 Road Trip Safety Tips While Driving Your Car

Blistering heat and vacation days; summers are a time when road trips happen. But as you begin narrowing down destinations for your trip and planning the fun, there is something else that you need to take care of.

Here are 6 safety tips which can make your road trip more fun-filled and safe: -

Have a Road Safety Emergency Kit Ready

Another essentiality from the safety point of view when setting on a road trip is to carry an emergency kit along. Emergency kits are very easy to arrange and can prove to be a big help if something unfavorable were to happen on your trip.

Start with making a list of all the supplies that you will need to pack in your emergency kit. This should include a flashlight, cell phone charger, water bottles, Band-Aids, alcohol/antiseptic swabs, some towels, gauze pads, antiseptic ointments, etc. You might find most of these essentials in your house itself. You can also pack these items within a small backpack if you do not have an emergency kit box. This will not only aid with the organizing part but also make it easy for you to find the items.

Other than the above, including things like gloves, rainwear, duct tapes, tire sealant, jumper cables, shovel, a fire extinguisher can also help with hassles while you are on the road.

Learn Basic Maintenance Skills Before Setting on a Long Road Journey

Even though your car insurance policy might cover the cost of repair done in any of its network garages, learning a few standard car maintenance skills will only lessen your troubles. Despite having carried out all inspections of the vehicle before setting out, something unexpected can always occur during the journey.

You can begin with learning how to check the air pressure of your tires and also fill the air in them, in case it is low. Changing a tire, checking windshield wiper blades, adding windshield wiper fluid manually, as well as brushing the wiper blades are a few other useful skills that you can learn.

Focus on the Dos and Don’ts

A lot of accidents on the road also happen because drivers forego the necessary dos and don’ts s while driving.  Hence, another safety measure that you should undertake is to pay attention to these dos and don’ts.

1. Avoid distracted driving and focus on the road. When behind the wheels, make it a point to leave your mobile device alone.

2. Do not engage in chit chats for long. Even though catching up with friends on a road trip may sound fun, remember to keep it to a minimum while you are responsible for driving.

3. It’s best to not try multitasking when driving. Eating on the go or taking phone calls can easily take your attention off the road.

4. It is also advised that you take regular breaks while on a long road trip. Fatigue and sleep depravity also make it hard to drive mindfully. Hence limit night-time driving and stop for rests.

Prepare yourself Well for the Trip

Even though this is a no-brainer, a lot of people still take to prepping up for road trips in a jiffy, which causes them to miss out on certain aspects. Take some time out to prepare yourself before you leave so that you have a convenient and joyful trip. Load your GPS with the destination, refer to your car’s Bluetooth for calls, and take care to keep the children entertained so that they do not distract you while you are driving. You can hook up some music or set them up with games.

Keep your Vehicle Road-Ready

The last but certainly not the least - ensure that your vehicle is road-ready before you set out on the road trip. Being stranded in a remote location because your car has broken down is not something that you would want to happen on your trip. Carrying out inspection and making improvements can help you in avoiding such incidences.

Check the oil, tires, jack and spare tires, windshield wipers, and fluids, lights, battery, shocks, key fobs and horns. Change the oil, replace the air filters, change the windshield wipers, fill the fluids, and flush the radiators, if need be. All these checks and tune-ups will help make your road trip smoother and memorable.

Have a Comprehensive Motor Insurance Plan

The fact that makes accidents so challenging is that they are unpredictable. Since you cannot foretell and avoid them, the most you can do is best prepare yourself to face them. This most definitely includes insuring yourself and your vehicle with an efficient car insurance plan. The market today is rich with plans that offer financial security to car owners against accidents, and the best part is that you can buy car insurance online these days.

 A comprehensive car insurance policy is meant to provide coverage against a plethora of expenses, including damage to the vehicle due to riots, malicious activities, flood, earthquake, storms, etc., theft or loss of vehicle, third party liabilities and injury or death of the policyholder.

Apart from the above, IFFCO Tokio’s car insurance policy also offers benefits such as road-side assistance and lost key assistance as a part of their car insurance policies. You can also consider purchasing additional covers such as zero depreciation and engine and gearbox protection to further enhance your comprehensive car insurance policy, and enjoy your road trip without any worries.

Having performed the tasks mentioned above, you can be a little more carefree on your road trip and enjoy it to the fullest!
Know more about Motor Insurance Policy

**To understand exactly about the policy coverage, exclusions etc read the Policy Wordings carefully.**