Car Safety Advice For A Road Trip

When my husband suggested we travelled to the Alps in the south of France – by car – a bit of persuasion was required. Flying there takes just over an hour. Driving is a good 12 hours! But, with the promise of an extended road trip over the border to Italy and the freedom to take pretty much what we want as well as bring back some Italian treats – I was soon sold.

The last time we travelled such a distance was one Christmas when our daughter was just five months old. She pretty much slept all the way! Now, at three years old, she will need far more entertaining and we shall have to brush up on our game of ‘I Spy’.

But, there are also additional responsibilities which come with driving such a long way which extend past deciding what we should pack.

Essential checks to the car will need to be done to ensure the care is safe to drive and, in particular, our tyres. As we will be driving in mountainous regions, in potentially snowy conditions, this is of particular importance. Here is some advice on car safety which are relevant no matter the length of journey.

Tyre Pressure

• Know the correct tyre pressure for your car, as suggested by the AA.
• The AA advises checking the tyre pressure every two weeks.
• If you want to check the tyre pressure at home, you can invest in a good quality gauge.
• If your tyres are either under inflated or over inflated – they can be extremely dangerous.

Check Tyre Tread 

• Many people are unaware of the point when the tread of tyres becomes unsafe and illegal to drive with in UK.
• Good quality tyre brands such as Michelin give an estimate of the amount of wear the tyres made by them can take, after which they should be replaced.
• In order to avoid the hefty fines for driving with illegal tyres, get them inspected by a reliable car tyre expert.
• If you think that your tyres need to be replaced,  you can buy new ones from a website such as Point S car tyres. It allows you to book tyres online along with fitting appointments (which can be done locally) without any online payment.

Spare Tyres

• It is not required by law to have a spare tyre, however if you have one, make sure that its condition is up to the mark and that the tyre is street legal.
• If you get a flat tyre – make sure you know how to fit it (am hoping the hubby can help with this)!

Tyre Compatibility

• The MOT rules state that the front and rear tyres of a car need to be similarly sized. Although your car tyres do not have to be of the same brand or model – the tyres should be compatible with each other.

Those are some of the checks we will be doing before our long journey – as well as trying to figure out all the various items we need to have in our car when travelling in France…like a breathalyser! It should be an interesting trip…look forward to sharing it with you soon. Happy driving!

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**Pictures courtesy of Pixabay