AUTO INSURANCE ARTICLE

Drivers' Guide for Safe Road Trips This Summer

By: coppeneur

Having to delay your vacation because of an auto-breakdown is indeed very awful. It can be fodder for laughs with your drinking buddies but it’s not funny when you are there by, baked under the sun not on the beach but on the side of the road. This could be avoided with a proper pre-trip check of your vehicle.

You can start by walking around your car, checking in the trunk and under the hood. Don’t forget taking a look at your outside and side marker lights. Test the brake, back-up, licence plate and those little lights.

If your tires are more than six years old, and they have been used at highway speeds for prolonged periods, it would be not a total surprise if one of them blows on you on the road. Auto makers recommend tire rotations every 10,000 to 15,000 km.

Do adjust your tire pressures, and do it when the tires as at their coldest. Be sure to have a spare tire on your trip. Check tread-wear and cuts and bulges

Check on your emergency tool kit. Do you have a jack that works and everything else you need in case you need to have change wheels fast.

Is your car also loaded with a first aid kit: a roll of electrical tape, a few common tools, a flash light, and a small fire extinguisher, among others?

Check your wiper blades. Are they still in good shape and do they function well still?

Go under the hood. Begin by checking fluid levels in your car: engine oil, brake, power steering, automatic transmission, coolant and the windshield washer reservoir. Have a quick check of hoses and belts, taking extra care for any signs of fluid leaks.

Good air flow through the radiator is important and you may be able suck-out debris trapped in the core with a vacuum.

Are you planning to have a roof rack? Do you know that installing one and actually using it will change the centre of gravity of the vehicle, making it top-heavy and easier to roll. We recommend not using one, if you can avoid it.

If you have noticed before that your car’s temperature gets higher and higher while being on the road, be reminded to put the shift lever into neutral or park but do not stop the engine.

Have a spare key with you! Lastly, check if your auto insurance is current and valid in your destination.

Bearing these in mind will not guarantee you a fun road trip, but it would surely stall any surprise that your car might give you while on the road.

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