With the holiday weekend coming up, many motorists will be taking to the road to visit family for the Easter holiday. With holiday travel can come accidents, emergencies, vehicle breakdowns, and headaches. Having a plan before you hit the road is a good way to avoid these problems and ensure you get to your destination safely. We at Autobody Specialties hope you have a wonderful and safe Easter! Today's blog will be on 5 ways to ensure safe holiday car travel.

1. Ensure the kids have plenty of things to do on the drive. Little ones can become very bored on road trips so make sure you have tablet batteries charged, lots of snacks on hand, and juice to keep them hydrated. A good way to get them involved in making sure they are kept busy is to ask them to help you build a road trip bag with 5 activities they helped you plan out. This can be anything from bringing their favorite coloring book to magnetic puzzles. Keep their snacks in an air tight container to keep food fresh and prevent spills.

2. Make sure you car is road trip ready before leaving. Check your oil and battery. Make sure your fluids are all topped off. If possible , take the car on a "test run" before leaving for the trip. Listen for any peculiar noises and be sure to have them checked out before hitting the road. The last thing is to make sure your spare tire is in good working condition. Nothing is worse then getting a flat and not having a spare.

3. Stock the trunk with an emergency vehicle kit. Below is a list Triple A recommends for every driver to have in their car. 

• Working flashlight
• Extra batteries
• Reflective triangles
• Compass
• First aid kit
• Exterior windshield cleaner
• Ice scraper
• Snow brush
• Blankets/hats/gloves
• Wooden stick matches in a waterproof container
• Non-perishable, high-energy foods such as unsalted canned nuts, dried fruits and hard candy

Remember it always better to be over prepared than under prepared.

4. Pack the luggage the day before so that a quick and easy start off is ensured. Having the luggage packed ahead of time gives you extra time to make sure everyone is set and ready to go the next day. it also doesn't hurt to make a list of everything that needs to be packed. This should be done ahead of time so there is time to remember items you may have forgotten. 

5. Nowadays most travelers opt to use their smartphones or GPS to navigate on road trips. In case your signal drops out, it is not a bad idea to print or write out driving directions ahead of time. Place it in your glove box where it is easy to access. 

Autobody Specialties is a family owned auto body sheet metal and accessory shop. We sell truck and auto body parts  and have been in business from 1947 to the present.

Contact Us

Autobody Specialties

128 Meriden Road

Middlefield, Connecticut 06455

United States

1-888-277-1960