Five Ways to Ensure Your Car Is Road-ready

Taking a drive is always a fun activity, except when you discover you're unprepared for the long hours on the road. Here's our list of how you can be prepared for any length of time behind the wheel.

Pack the Necessary Liquids for Your Vehicle

Keeping your car running is the most crucial part of any trip. This requires you to check that the engine receives all the fluids it needs, such as oil, water, and gas. Without any of these, you may get stuck along the side of the road.

Fortunately, your dashboard indicates when your gas or coolant needs to be topped up. While gas is the most important, driving without any coolant will cause significant harm to your engine. 

Check your fluids at any gas station you go past to ensure these are all full or at an acceptable level. Your oil will need to be checked manually. Pack a small bottle of coolant and can of oil if you're going to be driving for an extended period.

Check Your Tire Pressure

An incorrect level of tire pressure can result in an accident or a higher risk of a blowout. On the driver's side, commonly placed on the inside of the car, covered by where the door closes, there is a sticker with the pressure information displayed for the particular vehicle model.

Low pressure results in too much of the tire touching the road. This can damage your vehicle as other wheels attempt to compensate for it. Your car is also less responsive than it should be. Low pressure in your tires is unsafe and should be avoided.

Conversely, tire pressure that is over your advised level causes less rubber touching the road. With less tread on the ground, your car has less friction than it needs when stopping or turning. The regular wear and tear is focused on this area and causes the tire to receive damage faster than it should.

Are Your Lights Working

If you're driving anytime after the sun has set or in poor weather conditions, you need to ensure your lights are working. Indicators should be functioning at all times to avoid an accident occurring.

Check that all your lights function when you turn them on. Your parking, brake, turn signal, brights, and headlight bulbs are all lighting up. This can also indicate if any of the plastic covering is dirty and needs to be cleaned.

Snow and Frost

If you're in an area where it snows, there are a few precautions you may want to take. Firstly, you need to clear the snow off your car before driving. The snow affects how well you can see and the fuel efficiency of your vehicle.

Frost can be scraped off instead of slowly being melted by your vehicle. This avoids the smeared mess you'll see until the car is sufficiently heated up. 

Snow tires or chains are essential in keeping you safe. Without these, you'll lose traction on the snowy road surface and risk causing an accident. There are a few ways to make an emergency snow chain for your tires, in the event you don't yet have a set.

Insurance Documents

If you're in an accident or any event requiring your insurance information, keeping the documents in your car saves a considerable amount of time. The papers can easily be stored in the glove compartment of your vehicle. You can lock this compartment to keep the contents safe.

Car insurance will cover the damage or injuries that occur in an incident. The coverage you receive depends on what insurance plan you choose but can include weather damage and accidents or hijackings.

Travel Safe

The number one thing you must do to ensure your car is ready for the road is to be a good driver. You can do this by keeping your vehicle in tip-top shape using the information found above.