How to Stay Safe on Your Summer Road Trips

Summer driving can be extremely dangerous, should your car break down leaving you stranded in the blistering heat. With the price of gas coming down more and more families will be heading out on the road. Now is the time to prepare to ensure your safe arrival.

Before your trip:

• Be sure the owner’s manual and proof of insurance are in the car.
• Check the coolant. Check coolant mixture recommendation for the areas in which you will be traveling not just where you are living.
• Check the tires. Check tread and inflate to the proper pressure.
• Check the spare tire. Make sure the spare is fully inflated and the jack, wrench, wheel lock adapter, and other tire-changing tools are in the trunk.
• Check brakes.
• Check hoses.
• Complete any maintenance which is due.
• Check the air filter.
• Fill gas tank near home where prices will often be cheapest, especially if you are traveling freeways.
• Check fuel levels, oil, battery, transmission and window washing solution.
• Load car with weight distributed evenly. Secure all items within the car. Anything can become dangerous should it fly through the air during a collision.
• Check air conditioner to be sure it is cooling properly.
• Check hoses and belts and replace any that are worn.

A backpack is a great container for an emergency kit in case you need to leave your car. A backpack will allow you to take your emergency supplies with you while still having your hands free to deal with obstacles and to help children. When possible, you should always stay with your vehicle.

Things to include in the kit:

• Water is the most important item in your auto kit. You can survive days and even weeks without food but only a few days without water. Water stored in your car will be clean and safe when other sources may not be.
• Food is the second most important item to include in all auto kits. Food should be low salt with a long storage life and food that does not need to be reconstituted.
• Glow sticks can provide light during the nighttime hours and make you more visible to rescuers.
• Work gloves are needed if you change a tire or build a shelter.
• Bungee Cords have a million uses for building shelter and securing your car.
• Small camp shovel is great to find water, build a shelter or a fire pit.
• Waterproof matches or lighter.
• A metal container to boil water. A number 10 can works well for this and is a handy way to store small items.
• A mirror or extra mylar blanket can be used to signal rescuers.
• Umbrella: Instant shelter and protection from the wind and sun. Umbrellas make a good door for a shelter.
• Safety vests to be more easily seen by rescuers or while changing. tire (bright orange vests, cheap ones). You will all be safer if you need to leave the car, and each passenger wears one. These can also be attached to your car as a distress signal.
• Cell phone charger for the car.
• Wool blanket or sleeping bag to protect you when sleeping or sitting on the ground or for providing shelter and shade.
• Mylar emergency blankets: These have dozens of uses from creating warmth to blocking wind, to use as a signaling device.
• A whistle can be heard much further away than the human voice. I would have at least 2 in the car. If one member of your party needs to leave to look for help, you can signal each other every few minutes and help guide them back to the car. It is not wise for anyone to leave alone and go further away than “whistle distance.” It is just too easy to become disoriented and lost.
• A Flashlight with extra batteries and an extra bulb. Never store the batteries in the flashlight – even the fancy Alkaline batteries can leak or explode inside your flashlight, leaving you surprised to find your flashlight useless in an emergency.
• A portable radio is great to hear news and weather reports without draining your car battery. Make sure you have both AM and FM bands. Look for the ones that are also a flashlight and siren. Hand cranked power is also good.
• Tool kit: How sad to be stranded for lack of a screwdriver or wrench. A multi-function tool is also a good alternative.
• Tow rope: Some people who could help pull you out of the ditch are not equipped with a rope. Rope is also helpful when building a shelter.
• Maps: Maps should include local, state, and destination maps when traveling. Most people take GPS for granted, however, many areas still not updated in GPS.
• Compass
• Roll of TP: One of life’s essentials.
• Fire extinguisher.
• 12-foot Jumper Cables.
• Two quarts of oil.
• Brake fluid.
• Extra fuses.
• Rags that can be soaked to start a fire, or to clean up.
• Sun blindness is a real problem when traveling, changing a tire, hunting for food, or waiting for help. Sun reflected off a desert floor or water is especially dangerous.
• Sun block.
• Bandannas for head protection and to create eye protection from the sun.
• Completed Emergency Cards with medical and contact information. If you are stranded for a few days you may be too tired to remember this information when help arrives.
• Small notebook and pencil to leave notes should you have to leave your car. DO NOT LEAVE unless you are in real danger.
• A tarp is great to have on hand to lay over the ground when changing a tire, or for use as ground cover or to build a shelter.
• Stress relievers such as a book, travel games, crossword puzzles and scriptures. It is important to have items as a distraction for children and yourself as you wait for help to arrive.
• First aid kit and guide.
• Warning triangles.
• Plastic bags for sanitation and protection from the rain.
• Can of Fix a Flat.
• Insect repellent.
• Extra water for radiator or for cooling. Wet hair or clothing will help to cool your body.

I can hear the comments now, how do I fit our luggage in if I have all those other things in an emergency kit in the car? Yes, the list is long but many items you will be happy you have, should you become stranded, are small and take up little space. If you live in a state where temperature reach 100 degrees and more or if you are traveling through a state with long stretches of lonely roads you will be happy you prepared. Any challenge can be an adventure and not a crisis when we are prepared.

One more thing before you leave home. Always tell a family member or friends where you are going, what route you are taking and where you will be staying along the way. If you will be in a more remote area and have not checked in this person can direct rescuers. You may think you will not need this but there are still thousands of areas not mapped and many where cell phones do not have reception.

Prepare now and leave knowing you are ready for a safe, fun and memory making road trip.