We’re nearing the end of October, which means holidays are just around the corner, and for many families that means holiday travel. Now, there are few things more stressful and exciting than gearing up for a road trip where good food and fun time with family lies in waiting on the other side. When you’re gearing up for your own holiday travels, as your auto body shop, we know that preparation is key to preventing accidents and staying on that schedule you so optimistically set before the season got hectic. Here are some of our best Thanksgiving driving tips for a safe road trip.
Keep an Eye on the Weather
This time of year, Colorado can go from 70 degrees one day to snowfall the next, so keep a close eye on the weather as your travel date approaches, and be prepared for last-minute change-ups in the forecast. Don’t travel in inclement weather if you can avoid it, and only travel in snowfall if your vehicle is properly prepared to take on those road conditions. A Thanksgiving stuck at home is better than a Thanksgiving stuck in the ditch.
Stock that Emergency Kit
You should make sure your vehicle’s emergency kit is stocked year-round, but if it’s been a while since you swapped out expired supplies and refreshed the pieces of the kit that need it, now’s the perfect time. We’re heading into a season that isn’t the best for road travel but requires it for many families thanks to the holidays. Whether it’s Turkey Day or you’re looking ahead to Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or any other Winter holiday celebrations, having a freshly stocked emergency kit can be the sole reason you recover well and hang in there if anything does go drastically awry with your travel plans. Blankets, batteries, a crank radio, food, first aid kit supplies, extra layers of clothing, phone charger banks, and paper maps are all necessary pieces of the puzzle. Jumper cables, spare tires, and tire jack equipment are also key.
Minimize Distractions
This might be one of the harder ones on our list, but it still rings true as an important part of getting your family from point A to point B safe and sound. We’re not saying you should eliminate distractions entirely – that’s completely unrealistic, and we understand that. However, any steps you can take to minimize distractions should be taken before hopping in the car. This might look like pre-loading the directions onto your phone or vehicle’s GPS system, designating a music selector as whoever is in the front passenger seat rather than attempting to play DJ while you’re behind the wheel, silencing phone notifications while you’re driving, making sure your kids have enough to keep them occupied that they won’t squabble with one another or shout questions at you every fifteen seconds that you simply can’t answer. Keep pets in kennels or carriers if possible, if they are otherwise difficult to travel with, or assign a passenger in the back seat to be in charge of keeping the pets well behaved throughout your travel. Whatever you can do to make distractions harder to come by, do it!
Break it Up
If you’re staring down the barrel of a 12+ hour drive to your final destination, consider breaking it up into more than one day’s worth of driving. Set a goal for how far you want to get in a single day, but pay attention to your needs and the needs of your family. If the drivers are starting to wear thin and sleepiness is prevailing, pull over and find a hotel for the night. The cost of that will be much cheaper than potential hospital bills alongside vehicle repair bills when a sleepy driver results in an accident.
However you plan, prepare, and execute your family’s holiday travels, just keep in mind that safety is paramount! After all, you have the best chance of enjoying your holiday if you get there safe and sound!
