Family Road Trip Preparation and Safety
Before your family car trip turns into a wacky, mad cap National Lampoon vacation, make a safety check list and do your homework. Spontaneity is a good thing when travelling, but only after the planning and prep work have been done.
Auto maintenance:Tire blow outs and auto trouble can spoil a vacation as well as make it dangerous. So be sure to have your mechanic do a thorough inspection of your car before heading down the road. Have a spare tire in good condition and the tools to change a flat such as tire jack and tire iron. Under this category, also make sure child safety seats are indeed safe and properly secured.
Registrations, insurance, and money: If you should need road side assistance, make sure you're covered under your auto insurance policy or AAA. Make a file of your auto and health insurance cards, auto registration, travel club cards, a complete list of credit card and bank account numbers, and some travelers' checks. Store that along with extra cash and your auto manual in a secure location, preferably in the trunk or locked glove box.
What to pack: After the kids have loaded the cars with toys and games, there may not be much room left over. But be sure to make room for a first aid kit and book, foul weather clothing such as rain ponchos, a blanket, flashlight, medications, sun glasses, sun screen, insect repellant, maps, detailed directions to navigate cities, a cell phone, charger, and extra battery, paper towels, and tools and materials to do simple repairs to your auto. The game plan is to be prepared for anything.
Trip plan: If you have a navigational system, you're set. If not, AAA will help you plan a trip route or you can use a trip planner from a web site. Give yourself plenty of time between various destinations to eat, rest, stretch, take bathroom breaks, and explore interesting sites. Kids need to let off steam and will be less restless with frequent stops. Also, it's never a good idea to drive when you are tired. You can prebook hotel reservations keeping in mind their cancellation policies if your plans should change. It's nice to know you have a clean bed to fall into after a long day of driving without having to hunt up a room during a busy tourist season. Give a copy of your itinerary to a neighbor along with your house key and contact numbers.
Review your defensive driving techniques: A great web site to access for a review is roadtripamerica.com. Check out Robert Schaller's (akaUncle Bob) tips on defensive driving covering such topics as avoiding intersection collisions, how to recover from a skid on wet or icy roads, how to deal with tailgaters, and more.
Before backing out of the driveway: Check the weather report and road and traffic conditions ahead. Make sure everyone is buckled up and ready to go. Engage the child safety locks and review courtesy rules of road travel with the kids.
If you become lost: Have a plan in case any member of the family becomes separated. This would include where to meet, a secret code word, and memorizing the cell phone number and another contact number. If lost in a city, go to a truck stop and get directions from a waitress rather than a gas station attendant. If the area gives you the creeps, it might be valuable to have a vial of pepper spray attached to your key chain. Also, lock you vehicle whenever you leave it and accompany children wherever they go.
Thorough safety planning will allow you to do the spontaneous things that make road trips so exciting. The most rewarding road trips are those that take you off the beaten path to explore small town America. take leisurely drives through scenic parks and forests, stop at roadside farmers' markets, and investigate the unusual and unexpected. Wherever you go and whatever you do, your planning will enable you to deal with any situation and have a great time.
