It wont be long until school finishes for the year, the kids are on holidays and we all get ready for our summer holiday. Whether it be heading to the coast for Christmas, visiting family and friends or just on a local outing, one thing is for certain, you need to ensure that your vehicle is safe and ready for your trip. You are not only ensuring the safety of your family, but also other travellers who share the road.
To ensure that you arrive at your destination safely and on time, here are some safety tips for your car:
• Service your car: Drop into your local service station and ensure that you get your car serviced before setting out on that trip. Better to be safe than sorry.
• Insurance and registration for your car: Double check your insurance to see that it is up to date and now with some people not always receiving their registration notices in the mail and no evidence on your car to remind you, check to see if your car meets all criteria.
• With any chips in your windscreen, why not get them fixed rather than run the risk of it running when left out in the sun. It doesn’t take long to get it repaired, so make the time now.
• Check all of your tyres, including your spare, and have your wheels aligned. Nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no spare tyre ready to go.
• Keep your mobile phones charged, a first aid kit in the car and a map handy in case you get lost, either mobile or paper.
• Carry water and oil in your car at all times, you never know when you might need them.
• Ensure you have the correct child restraints in your car, and keep pets restrained as well for everybody’s safety.
• Remember double demerits over the Christmas period, so do not speed, its not worth the accident or fine. NRMA estimates the busiest times to be the last day of school: 16th December; two days before Christmas 23rd December; the day after Boxing Day 27th December and January 4th. Enjoy your holiday!