On the way to Grandma’s house for the Thanksgiving holiday, road trips can be long and stressful. To make your road trip go more smoothly, with less squabbling from the passengers and less shouting at the other drivers, here are some survival tips for your holiday drive.
Be prepared. -- Like a good Boy Scout or Girl Scout, be sure to have an emergency kit, extra drinks, snacks, blankets, a spare tire and tire changing tools, and plenty of audio entertainment. If you’re prepared for anything, you and your passengers will be able to relax more.
Breathe through the traffic jams. -- Traffic happens. Chances are high that you and everyone else are leaving town around the same time and driving back home the same time, too. If you’re stuck in traffic, remember to breathe deeply, enjoy the journey, and know that “slow and steady” will get you to your destination more safely than the “let’s-speed-and-get-into-an-accident” approach.
Explore alternate routes. -- Sometimes a back route or a less-traveled road will take you through some beautiful scenery that they highway cannot provide. If you have a little extra time, why not explore the back roads? You may find there’s more to see and do, plus the traffic will be lighter.
Bring along plenty of entertainment. -- Stock your vehicle with mobile devices, video games, DVD players, tablets, power cords, audiobooks, music, and regular books to provide hours of entertainment for you and your passengers. Just remember that the driver is not to be watching movies while driving, but audiobooks and music are perfectly acceptable.
Travel with a CB radio. -- A good ole Citizen’s Band radio can provide hours of entertainment, as well as local updates on road hazards, road closures, accidents, traffic jams, and the like. Though a CB radio sounds old school, it is a handy tool, and it will work when your cell phone won’t.
Brush up on your winter driving skills. -- If it has been a long while since you’ve driven in rain, sleet, fog, snow, in the mountains, or on black ice, now would be a good time to study up on what to do...before you go on the road trip, of course. Road hazards such as these are not entirely dangerous, so long as you know how to get out of a skid, what to do when hydroplaning, or how you’ll traverse a hill that’s covered in ice. When in doubt, consult YouTube for a variety of driving tutorials.
At Robert’s Collision & Repair, we love to help you any way we can with your vehicle, and we hope you find these road trip tips useful. For high-quality auto body repair, mechanical repair, oil changes, auto paint, auto detailing, and tire service, come see us at 234 Ramona Avenue in Monterey, CA. For your convenience, schedule an appointment by calling 831-373-1534.
Robert’s Collision & Repair: The premier auto repair center on the Monterey Peninsula.