How do you ensure a safe and happy road trip? Take a look at these rules that guarantee you a hassle-free ride.
Planning a road trip? Then you need to take certain measures to ensure it turns out to be a pleasant one.
It’s easy to make your car ride smooth and safe sailing. How?
The below 10 commandments show you how.
1. Thou shall be responsible
You have a family. You have responsibilities. Why do you want to neglect them with reckless driving? Road rage is a sure-shot reason for accidents and body injuries. Bucker up your driving skills. Pay more attention to all the elements present on the road. If you’re driving along with your homies, ask them to not distract you but help you in being attentive as you drive.
2. Thou shall drive slowly
Instead of racing to your destination, you can drive slowly. Enjoy the scenery. If the roads aren’t dusty, you can turn off the air conditioner and roll down the window panes to enjoy the fresh and cool breeze blowing on your face. When traveling to places you haven’t been before or would love to explore, try to make one or more overnight stops.
3. Thou shall always fuel up
You won’t be able to kick-start your day without a healthy and heavy breakfast, right? Similarly, your car too needs its food at the start to perform efficiently throughout the trip. The last thing you would want to worry about is whether your car has adequate fuel to make it to the next stop. So, before you start you journey, it is important to fill up your car’s tank.
4. Thou shall check car before the ride
Imagine this:
You are behind the wheel, singing gleefully with your friends or family on a road trip. But it strikes you that you didn’t check the tires or the engine before starting out. You get this eerie feeling. Suddenly your vehicle hits a rocky patch on the road. The tires start to wobble and the breaks have failed too. You probably saw all of this in happening in your dream and now the same is happening in reality…
This may remind you of one of those horrific scenes from the hit Hollywood thriller franchise ‘Final Destination’.
You don’t want something similar happening to you.
So, do not leave without checking all the parts including the oil and tires of your vehicle. Also, do NOT absent-mindedly leave any tool from your tool kit in the bonnet of the car. Take all these measures to ensure you don’t face any unnecessary hiccups during your journey.
5. Thou shall abide by the traffic rules
God didn’t create traffic rules. Man did. And he did it for a reason. We all need to be disciplined and abide by them to avoid chaos and stay organized, thus ensuring a smooth ride.
6. Thou shall not multi-task
Regardless of your expert multitasking skills, when it comes to driving, focus on just that. If you believe you need to answer an urgent phone call or text message, then make sure you pull over the car to the side and do so without causing inconvenience to another vehicle.
7. Thou shall take a break if feeling sleepy
Relax. You are just a human at the end of the day. Long drives may be tiring and you may tend to feel drowsy, especially in the noon. But, drowsy driving isn’t just unpleasant. It’s absolutely dangerous. Whenever you feel sleepy, just pull over to the side. Take a quick power nap. Then continue driving when you are fresh. In this way, you would be ensuring safety not only to yourself but also to other vehicles on the road.
8. Thou shall have an active car insurance policy
As per Murphy’s Law – “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”. So, why take a chance? Don’t underestimate the importance of your comprehensive car insurance policy. If at all it is lapsed, renew your policy before you start your trip. It protects you against all odds. Always carry the car insurance papers in your car.
9. Thou shall be emergency ready
Carry snacks and good supply of drinking water. Well-fed kids are happy kids. Pack their favorite snacks. If you are travelling with infants, carry extra diapers and make sure you have packed the baby food in air-tight containers. Keep a first-aid kit and a car emergency tool kit in the dashboard. Make sure all your essentials are within arm’s reach. Have the car roadside assistance number on your speed-dial list if at all your car breaks down. Make sure your speed dial list also has numbers of a few people, you know would be answerable in case of a crisis.
10. Thou shall keep maps
Google maps help you navigate to your destination with ease. Download the maps for offline purpose, so that they can come handy in secluded areas too where there isn’t appropriate internet connectivity. Turn on your GPS to help you get into areas you are venturing into.
Every trip can be a pleasant one if you choose it to be that way.
Pay heed to the above commandments and thou shall drive gleefully and stress-free. :)
Also Read: Tips for Maintaining Safety on Roads
