Many of you will be traveling this Christmas Season – nearly 63.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Christmas holiday travel period. Whether it’s to Grandma’s house or a favorite vacation spot to celebrate, there are some simple tips to make your drive a smooth one. Follow these tips so you can arrive at your destination safely without incident. With a little advance preparation, you can leave the road-trip stress at home and enjoy the holidays with your family and and friends.
Lets take a look at some road safety tips for the Christmas and New Years holidays:
– Make sure that your car is well-equipped for travel. Check the tire tread, battery, antifreeze, windows and brakes. Also check that you have a jack and lug wrench and that your spare tire is properly inflated.
– Allow extra time in your schedule. This is one of the busiest times to travel and patience and flexibility is needed. If possible leave earlier or later to avoid the heavy traffic.
– Have a cell phone with you and charger with you. AAA and many other companies offer smartphone applications that enable motorist to request help without making a phone call.
– Avoid driving during late night hours. There is an increased incidence of drunk driving during this time, especially on weekends.
– Keep a safety kit in your vehicle. The kit should include a flashlight with extra batteries, jumper cables, first aid kit, water, non-perishable food items, matches, blankets, and flares or other warning devices. You should also include an ice scraper, small shovel and a bag of sand or kitty litter in case you get stuck in the snow.
– Driving while drowsy can be as dangerous as driving after drinking alcohol. Schedule your trip to avoid driving during normal sleep hours. Plan for at least a 15-minute rest stop every two hours. Limit driving to 350 miles per day or no more than eight hours on the road to avoid drowsy driving.
– Even if the weather and roads look okay in your neighborhood, that may not be the case 200 miles away at Grandma’s house. You will also want to check the local weather channel to find out the weather conditions of the interstates and roads you will be traveling on.
We want you to be as safe as possible while you are traveling so you can enjoy your time with your family and friends during this Christmas and New Year’s Holiday Season! WFFD wishes you safe travels!