Road Trip Safety On and Off The Road #travel
Road trip safety is something that we can all use a refresher course on. It’s so easy to become complacent on the road. Finding a rest stop becomes the paramount objective when exits become sparse, and we tend to forget dangers are literally everywhere. It’s important to remember that road trip safety is as much a part of travel as remembering to be safe abroad.
Keys to Road Trip Safety
Safety on the road begins with planning, continues with planning, and ends with planning. Seriously, though. Road trip safety requires thought and vigilance, just like any other form of safety or travel. We road trippers too often abandon that because we’re tired and we just need to use a restroom. That’s why I think this refresher course is so important.
Car Check
I covered this in my last post about general travel safety, but it bears repeating. If you’re about to take a road trip, the car needs to be in good working order. Have a certified mechanic check your car from top to bottom. If you have a mechanic in the family, that works too, and can save you money. But the important thing is to be sure everything works. Headlights, blinkers, fluid levels, brakes, and everything in between should be checked to ensure that they’re all good to go for your extended stay in your car.
Buddy System
The buddy system isn’t just for theme parks and swimming. It’s a big part of road trip safety. Whether you or a family member is headed into a gas station for snacks or a rest stop bathroom, never go solo. Rest stop bathrooms are perfect places for many more horrors than just a toilet that hasn’t been flushed. Never enter one, or any area for that matter, without a partner.
Keep the Cash on the Down Low
I covered this in my general safety post as well. Never flash money or credit cards when paying for anything. Be surreptitious about your wallet’s guts when going through it. The less folks know about what’s going on inside your wallet when you’re traveling the better. After all, travelers make excellent targets for crime. People aren’t expecting them to be anywhere for a certain length of time.
Less is More
When it comes to road trip safety, less conversation is more when you make stops. I know it sounds paranoid, but this can be important. Does that guy at the counter really need to know exactly where you’re going and what car you’re getting there in? No. He doesn’t. And even though the chances that he is some sort of criminal are slim, the chance is still there. Better safe than sorry. If a random stranger thinks you’re rude, so be it. Safety first.
Don’t Broadcast Your Trip
Last but not least in road trip safety is this: don’t broadcast your trip. There is no need to tell everyone on social media that you’ll be leaving your home all by its lonesome for a solid week. Your friends may not be thieves, but what about their friends or their friends’ friends? Social media is not the place to announce your impeding trip. However if social media is part of your travel arrangement and your trip is sponsored then consider this: you can post to social after you return, or have someone checking your home routinely while you are away.
[tweetthis]Road trip safety tips are important to remember before you hit the road #travel [/tweetthis]
Road Trip Safety is Easy but Essential
Road trip safety is actually really simple to implement, but most of us don’t do it adequately. We get tired. We get a full bladder. We just want the kids to stop fighting. There are tons of distractions on a road trip, and it’s easy to become complacent. That’s when disaster has a chance to happen. Follow the tips above and remain vigilant at all times to ensure that road trip safety is a key part of your next road trip.
Don’t forget to check out my other travel posts above.
6 Comments
Rachel Langer
I LOVE ROAD TRIPS! I think my favorite part of them is feeling free. You don’t have to work 9-5, you don’t have household chores to be done, you don’t even have to cook! Just hit the road and have some fun!
Seattle Travel Blogger
There is some good advice listed here.
This is a timely article and I am sure it will be helpful to many planning a trip.
Toughcookiemommy
Checking the car in advance is so important. You never know what will go wrong when you are on the road but you don’t want to wait to find out.
Rosey
Yep, that’s so true about the information. No need to share your vacation or trip information with anyone but those who need to know.
Kristen from The Road to Domestication
You are so right about not broadcasting on social media. That’s a hard thing for us not to do, though…especially when it comes to Instagram LOL
Vanya Mahal Ranthambore
I LOVE ROAD TRIPS! I think my most loved a portion of them is feeling free…thanks for offer i like it…