Summer may be nearly over but there is plenty of time left this year to fit in a road trip, whether it be long or short. Living in the UK, we have so many beautiful and fun places to discover and it would be a shame to not make the most of what is right on our doorstep. If you’re taking a road trip though, it’s really important that you make sure your car is as safe as possible before you go anywhere. Kwik Fit have a really important campaign at the moment called Know Before You Go and you can find out more on social media by searching #CarSafetyChecklist.
Here are a few tips for what to check before you head off on your adventure:
Tyres
As someone who used to live in Canada, I really know the importance of safe tyres. Over there, people will change their tyres before winter for something with a different tread. While we may not be at that time of year yet, it’s still essential that you have more than 3mm of tread on your tyres. The longer the tread, the shorter the time it takes for you to stop when you need to!
Not only should you be checking the tread on the tyres that are actually on your car, you should be checking your spare tyre, both for tread and pressure. What could be worse than having a flat and also having a flat spare tyre!?
Road Trip Essentials
This might not be so obvious to some people but it would be well worth having an ‘essentials’ box or bag to keep somewhere in the car. You never know what might happen whether going on a long trip or an hour out of town. It is super easy to put together an emergency kit that doesn’t cost a lot of money. Having things like a torch, spare batteries, first aid kit, bottled water, a blanket and maybe a cheap, charged up pay as you go phone with some credit could come in really handy, especially if you get stranded in the middle of nowhere, or at night!
Lights
There are so many reasons why checking your lights before a road trip is important. Not only should all of your car’s lights be in good working order, with bulbs that won’t give up half way through the journey but the lights should also be clean! Lights caked in dirt and mud might not be seen by someone if you need help at the side of the road or if you’re having a problem while driving!
Windscreen Wipers
We all know what the weather is like here in the UK. We could be having a lovely, sunny day one minute and it could be torrential rain the next. If you windscreen wipers aren’t up to scratch you could have some real problems during your journey. If your windscreen wiper blades haven’t been changed for quite some time, not being able to see properly out of the windscreen could really affect your vision and judgement while driving.
To find out more about what kinds of things to check before going on a long car journey head over to www.kwik-fit.com!
Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post. All opinions are our own.
