With automobile companies manufacturing much more luxurious cars, travelers are much more inclined to opting for a road trip when going on a visit to the country or when going on a vacation.

Going on these long trips that covers a lot of miles takes a lot of preparation and while you might be much more concerned with making the trip comfortable with equipment such as satellite radios, in-vehicle TVs, and other cozy comforts, it remains very important to ensure your vehicle is in tip-top condition for a safe trip.

Below are tips to ensure safe driving and a safe trip

Pack an Emergency Kit

Your trip can go from fun to terrible if your vehicle breaks down, worse still if your vehicle breaks down on a busy highway and you are without the necessary equipment to ensure your safety as well as the safety of your passengers.

Before you embark on a trip, it is important you pack up necessary and important equipment and car toolkits that could come handy. This equipment should include a car jack, wheel spanner, Towbars, bull bars, flashlight, flares, extra spark plugs, rags and other similar tools.

Bull bars would come particularly handy in a case of your car breaking down, such as Westcott Towbarstowbars and Bullbar services

Inspect Your Vehicle Fluids

The maintenance of your vehicle’s locomotion is aided by vehicle fluids which include transmission fluid, brake fluid, antifreeze, power steering etc. Before embarking on you cross country trip, it is very important that you take the time to check the levels of these fluids, replace or top them off if necessary before embarking on your journey.

For your cross-country trip, it is advised you go for a higher-grade oil which would help with your vehicle’s fuel economy

Inspect Your Vehicle’s Brakes and Tires

This is a very important check to make before embarking on a cross-country road trip. Your car tires are the only connection your vehicle has with the road, with things such as acceleration, braking, and the overall safety of your vehicle largely dependent on both brakes and tires being in peak conditions.

Before embarking on your cross-country road trip, it is highly important that you check your tires for punctures, proper air pressure, and tread wear. Check and inspect your brakes and address any “soft” pedal issues and generally get an auto mechanic to make a full inspection

Read Your Vehicle’s Owner Manual

Most car owners ignore the car manual, but on a long cross-country road trip, it is advised to do so as it could come handy in knowing how best to maneuver your car in scenarios such as steep hills, icy roads and/or any other encounter with road obstacles.

Do Not Overload Your Vehicle

Before embarking on your cross country road trip, you might have had plans for a lot of eventualities and planned on parking loads and luggage that have anticipated uses.

However, it is important not to overload your vehicle. You should adhere to your car’s load rating which should be found inside the driver’s door frame. In a case of the rooftop storage rack, you should ensure you do not overload as this would make your car handle less easily in emergency situations.

Keep Your Vehicle Pet-Friendly

In a case where you are also transporting a pet i.e. cats or dogs, ensure your pet’s carrying crate is firmly secured in place, reducing the incident of these crates being rattled or sliding during emergency stops or an accident.

It is also advised to pack bottled water for your pets as unfamiliar, municipal water sources from these cross country areas could cause stomach upsets for your pet(s).

Test Drive Your Vehicle

Having made these safety checks, it is advised to take your vehicle for a test drive before you embark on your cross-country road trip. This is not only to check for the tip top readiness of your vehicle but also to have a feel of highway driving before embarking on your long car trip.

Have a Plan B

Having made all these checks and taken all these precautions, there is still an off chance that you might run into an unexpected problem. In such cases, having a plan B would be very welcome.

You should have a car rental service number handy in case your car disappoints and having a reliable towing service.