Couple reading road map – Image Courtesy of Pexels
There is more to driving than simply going somewhere in your car. There are dangers and situations. So here are some things all dads should know when hitting the road.
Who to Call When It Hits the Fan
A flat tire, engine blowout, or even the dreaded car crash. These are all unfortunate, and you never wish them to happen. But not knowing what to do or who to call can make it far worse. Fortunately, there are companies like Cars Protection Plus that can help. From finding you the best roadside assistance companies to getting your car insured, car protection services can help you out when it comes to managing the worst. When it comes to car protection, it’s best to have and not need than need and not have some valuable services.
Insurance isn’t the only thing you may need to consider when driving on the roads. With populations growing, there are more people on the road and with it more chance of an accident occuring that wasn’t your fault. This means it’s important to know where to find and contact a St. Petersburg car accident attorney or one in your vicinity to help guide you through handling an accident and potentially receive compensation should one occur
How to Drive Safely
You can’t predict what will happen when on the roads. Through no fault of your own, you could experience a vehicle fault or get hit by a drunk driver. But of course, there’s no substitute for driving safely, just as you learned when you first got behind the wheel. Unfortunately, over time, it’s common for people to develop their own bad driving habits. And you mustn’t fall into this trap. Some examples include tailgating, sharp braking, and not using turn signals. If in doubt, use traffic websites to brush up on things, and be a good example for your children and teens.
All Dads Should Know How to Change a Tire
Changing a tire on the roadside is an essential skill when driving. Yet shockingly, one survey in the UK found that 75% of millennials don’t know how. Changing a tire helps you get back on the road as quickly as possible so you can continue your journey. But it also reduces the time spent on the shoulder, meaning you are less likely to become a statistic. Additionally, you will save a ton of money. Calling someone to change a tire for you will cost a considerable amount of out-of-pocket cash. However, even when going through your insurance, it won’t be free.
When to Change Oil and Coolant
Have you ever wondered what those lights on the dashboard are for? They’re the warning lights, so never ignore them. There are tons of warning lights in your car. Engine failure, no fuel, and oil and water. Oil and coolant are essential for your vehicle. Coolant helps keep your engine, well, cool. Engines get hot when you use them, and they can malfunction if they get too hot. You can use water if you have no coolant, but it will run out quicker. Oil is vital for lubricating the moving engine parts. Otherwise, they will overheat or break because of the friction. To make sure your car is running the best it can you should have the engine regularly checked to avoid any common engine misdiagnoses or issues that may impact the car and your safety.
How to Read a Map
Of course, it’s so easy to use Google Maps or something similar to find your way around these days. But a signal or access to a device isn’t always available. So you might have to grab your old dust catcher and navigate as in the olden days. Before GPS technology, only road maps would get you where you needed to be. And they didn’t tell you the best bars along the way. Learning to read a road map isn’t too much of a challenge, and it’s a skill you keep for life. But you will need to take some time to learn it and practice while out on the road.
Summary
Knowing who to call in an unfortunate event, how to change a tire, and reading a map without Google. These are all things every dad should know when venturing out on the open road.
The road trip is a pretty popular form of travel, and it’s quite easy to see why. After all, it’s a great way of getting around, it tends to be quite an affordable way to have a holiday, and it is altogether more eco-friendly than flying somewhere to go on a trip. But there is one major concern that might be playing on your mind if you are thinking of taking a road trip, and that is safety.
It is, after all, hugely important to make sure that you are keeping your family safe on the road at all times. In this post, we’ll take a look through some of the major ways in which you can hope to do just that.
Plan Out The Route
One of the most important things you can do here is to make sure you are planning out your route beforehand. The more fully you plan it out, the more likely it is that you are going to remain safe and keep your family safe too. Why? Because when you know where you are going and how long you have to drive each day and so on, you can simply relax and focus on the road itself.
Make sure you plan out each day, including where you are going to stop and when you will pull over for lunch and so on. The more fully you plan it out, the better.
Make Sure You Eat
It might sound simple, but you really need to make sure that you are eating regularly when you are out on the road. This helps you to concentrate more effectively, and means you have a faster reaction time, while also helping you to keep your wits about you and manage your emotions. All of that means you are driving better and that you are more likely to avoid collisions and other such incidents, so it’s surprising what a difference it can make to simply ensure you are eating.
Always have plenty of food with you in the car, and make it a rule that you eat as soon as you are hungry. This is the safest approach, and it will help in ensuring that you and your family are much safer while traveling on the roads.
If at all possible, you should aim to avoid driving through busy metropolitan areas during peak times, as this is when you are most likely to get into an accident on the roads. It is much better to plan ahead and to think about how you can avoid driving in cities and other major areas at such a time. It’s one of those small planning things that you can do if you want to make sure you are keeping yourself and your whole family perfectly safe while driving.
This might mean some of your journeys are longer, but that’s worth it if it means that you will be safer, and that your kids will be safer as well.
Buy A Safe Car
The car you drive is another hugely important thing you need to think about here. Some cars are just considerably safer than others. If you are looking around for a new car, it’s a good idea to make sure that you compare the available vehicles enough so that you end up with one that you feel as safe as possible in.
How can you know that a car is more likely to be safe? Sometimes it’s down to the brand and the dealership combination – going for a Hoffman Ford is always a good bet, for instance – and there is also something called the reliability index that you can look up for any car you are choosing to buy. As long as you are careful about what car to drive, you should find this really makes a huge difference.
Check The Weather
Certain weathers are obviously a lot more dangerous to drive in than others, so it’s important that you are always keeping one eye on what the weather is likely to do, before you drive anywhere. As long as you have done that, you can at the very least avoid the worst weather, such as hurricanes and storms and so on, where you are always more likely to crash or sustain an injury. This is again one of those very simple things you can do which end up making a significant difference to how your road trips turn out. And you and your family will feel a lot safer for it.
If at all possible, avoid driving while tired. The statistics infer that driving tired is more dangerous than driving drunk, so it’s definitely something you should think carefully about. You should do all you possibly can to try and sleep well every night, as this is going to help you to drive a lot more safely. Your reaction times will be quicker and you will avoid many more accidents this way. If there are two of you driving, you always have the option of switching drivers if one of you is too tired, so that’s something to consider too. It is not worth the risk, and it’s important that you appreciate just how dangerous it really can be to drive while tired.
Reduce Distractions
There can always be all sorts of distractions when you are on the road, and your aim should be to keep them to an absolute minimum. The fewer distractions there are, the easier you will find it to drive safely, and you are going to find that this makes everyone feel a lot better in general. If you have your whole family in the car, complete with kids and so on, there are a lot of distractions that can arise, so it’s going to prove important to keep a good control over your kids as well in order to help with this.
If you have done all that, you will find that your family is kept much safer on your road trips.
As more and more new cars hit the market, the wealth of choices available for families increases and makes finding the ideal vehicle for your family a bit more complicated. However, there are some features you should be looking for when it comes to finding the perfect family car. From SUVs to minivans, hatchbacks, and compact city cars, there is a different car for every family, but the following 10 points will help you make the right decision on your next family car.
Safety Rating & Features
Finding the perfect family car can be overwhelming, but the safety rating is one of the most critical aspects of buying a new vehicle. When shopping for a family car, you’re likely looking for more than just a spacious interior—you’re looking for a car that can hold all of you and your loved ones if an accident were to occur. One of the best ways to avoid a severe car accident is by looking for a vehicle with a safety rating of five or higher.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides car safety ratings. The scale goes from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest rating. Some of the most common safety ratings you’ll see on family cars are either five or four stars. When you shop for a family car with a safety rating of five or above, you’ll be protected in the event of a collision.
Comfort
When it comes to the comfort of a family car, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice safety for it. Whether you’re heading out for a weekend getaway, taking your children to soccer practice, or traveling for work, you’ll likely be in the car for hours. That can put a lot of strain on your entire family if your vehicle isn’t comfortable. At the very least, a family car should have a comfortable ride. While you probably don’t need an SUV or crossover with a luxury interior, a family car with a comfortable interior will allow you to enjoy your ride. If not, you might want to invest in some upgrades that can increase the comfort level of your car and provide support for longer car journeys, such as seat cushions, air-con upgrades, tinted windows to clock out UV rays, and Bluetooth for entertainment purposes along with features such as cup holders or custom air fresheners to keep your car smelling fresh at all times.
Economic
When buying a new family car, the fuel cost will surely be on everyone’s minds. You want to ensure that your next car is economically sound, so you don’t spend more on fuel. One of the best ways to keep your new vehicle’s fuel costs low is to look for a car with a fuel efficiency rating of at least 33 miles per gallon (mpg).
The best fuel-efficient cars are typically Hondas, Toyotas, Hyundai or Kia, which can get up to 47 mpg.
Suitable for Car Seats
When looking for a family car, you’ll likely want to ensure it has enough room for multiple car seats. Many states have regulations about which cars are suitable for multiple car seats. While many family cars have enough space for multiple car seats, you’ll want to ensure that the vehicle you’re looking at is suitable for your seats. Some of the most common car seats are infant seats, child seats, and booster seats. You’ll want to make sure that the car you’re looking at can hold the type of seat you have.
Style
While looking for a family car, you might also want to keep in mind the car’s style. Of course, you want to ensure the car is safe and has enough room for your family, but you should also consider how it looks on the outside. One of the first things family members will notice when they see your car is how it looks on the outside. If your family car looks nice, it can make a big difference when out with the family. There are many ways to choose a family car for your next vehicle. One of the best ways to reduce costs is to look for a used car. Used cars can be an excellent option for families who want a reliable vehicle that won’t break the bank.
Price
Once you’ve chosen the right family car and are ready to begin the search, the price tag is one of the first things you’ll want to keep in mind. While safety ratings and features are essential, you should also keep the price in mind. The best way to find the perfect family car at the right price is to shop around. You can use online tools to help you find the best deal on a new vehicle, or you can visit your local dealership and walk around to get a feel for the car’s price.
Avoid going over your budget to afford a better one unless you can comfortably afford any repayments if you are making monthly instalments.
Running Costs
Once you’ve found the perfect family car, one of the first things you’ll want to keep in mind is the running costs. Many factors determine how much your family car will cost you, but one of the most important is how much gas your new vehicle uses. The best way to keep the cost of gas down on your new family car is to shop around and find a vehicle with excellent gas mileage. You can use online resources to help you find a car with excellent gas mileage ratings.
Practicality
After choosing the perfect family car, you’ll want to ensure it has the suitable practicality. While it’s essential to keep the running costs of your new vehicle in mind, you should also be mindful of how practical your family car is. One of the best ways to keep practicality in mind is to shop around for a vehicle that can meet all of your needs. When looking for a family car, make sure it has enough space for your family, can pull double duty as a vehicle and a weekend getaway, and has the practicality you need. Another option is to look into whether or not you would find extra seats useful for you. Additional seating options can be handy if you carpool for clubs or school drop-offs.
Consider how you will use the car to assess the practicality of the vehicle you are looking to buy. You also need to consider how and when you will be driving it. Do you need to be driving in busy cities, meaning you might be better off with a nippy small car that can get in and out of traffic and park quickly in compact places? Or do you need the power of an SUV to make long journeys across states?
Storage
One of the essential practicality factors to remember when purchasing a new family car is the storage options. One of the best ways to keep your new family car’s practicality in mind is to ensure it has enough storage. One of the most common storage options found on family cars is a trunk. Trunks are great for storing your groceries, sporting equipment, or other large items you’ll want to keep close at hand. However, many family cars don’t offer enough storage space to put the things you’ll want to keep close at hand. Underfloor storage options in cars or hidden compartments under seating can be helpful for families. You can even purchase vehicles that can reconfigure the seating arrangements to suit your needs and potentially increase floor space allowing you to store more items or carry bigger loads while having a full vehicle.
Technology
As your family grows, you’ll likely want to keep your family car up to date with the technology available. Newer cars are made with the latest technological features, from in-car entertainment screens controlling all the functions to voice-activated options and even self-driving modes if you purchase a Tesla. While this isn’t always the case for older models, some will be fitted with certain technologies that can benefit your driving experience or allow them to be equipped retroactively.
These can include Bluetooth, Sat Navs, in-car hands-free kits, parking sensors, automatic climate control, automatic wipers and lights, vehicle collision, and parking sensors, to name a few. While not everyone needs all of these features, looking at the options available at your price point can help you to identify what you can afford and what you are likely to want in your new family car.
Conclusion
Buying a family car can be an overwhelming experience, but with a bit of planning, you can find the perfect family car. This article will help you choose the ideal family car for your family. Before diving into the process, make sure to do your research and make sure you are considering the right features for your needs. With these tips in mind, you will be well on your way to finding the perfect car for your family.
An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.
