Description: Traveling by car can easily turn into a disaster if you are not well prepared for the trip. Here are the basic safety tips and tricks you need to know.
Who doesn’t love road trips? They are fun, adventurous, and always memorable. What’s also great about road trips is that they are never the same. You will never repeat the experience you used to have. They are full of unpredictability. Though, there are different types of unpredictability. You want to create positive memories from this experience. Thus, you need to be prepared. There are many tips and tricks you can follow to stay safe on the road. Here are the essentials.
Get your car ready
Perhaps, the number one safety rule for a road trip is to prepare your car for some long-distance drive. It is the key if you want to finish your trip with no unpleasant surprises along the road. Such preparations may take at least a month, so start it in advance. Be sure to check at least all the basics, such as your breaks, cooler, oil, etc. If you have doubts about any part of your car, do visit your local mechanic for a full vehicle check. Also, don’t forget to equip your car with everything you may need on the road. The list should include a spare tire, bungee rope, and everything else that will keep you going.
Have the first aid kit
The first aid kit is an absolute must to have at all times. Though, it is especially important for long-distance trips. Be sure you have everything you may need for the road. A road trip first help may include slightly more than you may have in your regular kit. See what medication you need the most, whether they are digestion or anxiety drugs. Take enough antiseptics and bandages, just in case. Also, check which of your medications may affect driving. It’s better to know such things ahead.
Food and water
Never neglect the essentials. Food and water are a crucial part of your road safety. First, you want to stay hydrated.
Dehydration can cause headaches, feeling lightheaded and tired. If you don’t eat enough nutritious food, you may feel irritated, fatigued, and sleepy. Hence, all of these states can seriously affect your concentration and ability to drive. When preparing for a trip, try to avoid added sugar and caffeine drinks.
It may seem like a good choice at first glance, but they come with a lot of side effects. Sugary snacks or drinks will give you a fake book of energy, caused by a sugar rush. Though, it will fade rather quickly, leaving you exhausted, drained, anxious, and unfocused.
Hence, give preference to nutritious foods, plain water, and healthy snacks.
Make reservations
Don’t forget to make reservations. It’s much better to sleep at night and drive throughout the day. Driving at night may be dangerous for you for so many reasons, especially if you are taking a solo trip.
So, be sure you come prepared. See what motels or hotels you will pass by in your route. Make adjustments if needed. Of course, if you want to maintain the adventurous nature of your road trip, we suggest trying camping.
A few safety rules here. Try to reserve places at campsites rather than setting a tent somewhere in the wild. Also, we suggest purchasing or renting a 4 person roof top tent. First, they are incredibly easy to set up, which you will appreciate after a long day of driving. Second, no weather concerns them. It can be rainy, muddy, cold, or anything else, a rood tent will not let you feel any of that.
Never drive tired
A good safety rule is to take good care of yourself and your physical health. While you are traveling in your car, you accept full responsibility for your life and the lives of those people who come with you.
Hence, you need to pay respect to your physical state. If you are too tired to drive or don’t feel well, don’t drive. It’s as simple as that. It doesn’t matter if you have a schedule, whether you are behind it or not. No early arrival can cost putting your lives at risk.
Hitchhikers
We felt like we had addressed the factor of hitchhikers. People who gratuitously decide to give a hand to their fellow travelers deserve our deepest respect.
It’s not easy to stay on the road and wait for some car to drive you a few extra miles. However, a driver should always remember that by taking a hitchhiker they put themselves at risk.
You should do whatever you feel right. Though, if you decide to take a hitchhiker, be sure to inform people at home that you are traveling with someone, describe this person, tell where you have picked them up. Ask the hitchhiker questions to learn more about them.
Do checkpoints
Let someone who cares about you know where you are. It doesn’t take much from you. Just send them your location on a map every once in a while.
This simple rule doesn’t just work as an insurance for your safety and wellness, but it also reduces a lot of stress for your loved ones. Hence, you are doing it for them as much as for yourself.
