Tips for Safe Holiday Road Trips
Posted by Mark Williams | June 29, 2016
AAA and Michelin Tires are offering advice to the record number of the travelers — 43 million — expected to hit the road this Fourth of July weekend, and we're sharing them with you.
AAA expects to rescue nearly 370,000 motorists during the Independence Day weekend due to dead batteries, lockouts and flat tires — issues that a pre-trip checklist could prevent.
Some tips for traveling:
- Check your battery: Whether driving in cold or warm conditions, the battery is often the most ignored piece of equipment under your vehicle's hood. It's also the No. 1 reason motorists call AAA for help.While you're at it check your lights, fluids, hoses and windshield wipers too.
- Check tire pressure and tread wear: Just because you checked your tire pressure last month doesn't mean the tires are still properly inflated. Even if they look fine, get out the gauge and check and adjust before leaving. As for tread wear, use the penny test: Insert a penny (Lincoln's head first) into a tread groove. If you can see the top of Abe's head, you need new tires.
- Pack a safety kit: Being prepared isn't just for Boy Scouts. Make sure to bring along basic emergency supplies and gear. Flares, a first-aid kit, gloves, a blanket, water and food can come in handy during a breakdown.
- Avoid distractions: The No. 1 cause of teen driver accidents in the U.S. is distracted driving. Long road trips can provide innumerable sources of distraction. Play it safe and pull over to the side of the road to sort things out. Likewise, watch out for other drivers who may not be as properly focused on the road as you.
- Watch your loads: A poorly loaded vehicle can be difficult to handle and brake, and uses more fuel — something pickup truck drivers know well. Watch for front-to-rear weight distribution, and never allow the total weight of your vehicle (with passengers and fuel) to exceed the gross vehicle weight rating. Check the label on the doorjamb to find your vehicle's GVWR.
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Comments
Just moved to PA and live across the street form a State Park with a huge lake, I see pickup trucks drive by with canoes sticking out 10' out of the back of the bed....LOL
So now were advertising GM trucks?
Maybe
Hey woopud, those are not trucks, those are SUV's with a 5 foot bed on them. You get a double person Kayak or a good canoe and they are going to stick way out beyond the bed of those SUV's. I can take my wifes Jeep GC and put the rear seats down and have more room then most crew cab "trucks" Real trucks have 6 foot or longer beds
Hey woopud, those are not trucks, those are SUV's with a 5 foot bed on them. You get a double person Kayak or a good canoe and they are going to stick way out beyond the bed of those SUV's. I can take my wifes Jeep GC and put the rear seats down and have more room then most crew cab "trucks" Real trucks have 6 foot or longer beds
In that first picture, hopefully they are really secure with all the "shaking" going on.
Don't text and drive. I see so much of this these days.
Nitro Uh? show some proof of a canyon or Colorado shaking?
"In that first picture, hopefully they are really secure with all the "shaking" going on..."
Posted by: Nitro | Jun 29, 2016 11:57:13 AM
Nitro, you mean as "secure" as they would be in their F150....lol
Oh have you heard the F150 driver's seatback may have been improperly welded and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of an injury.
Maybe the folks in the picture should stick to the GM....lol
Do not drive while you're high, drunk or under the influence of any sort. The way some people drive has me wondering what they took before getting behind the wheel.
@Dave
Difference between your wife's GC and a truck is that the truck can still seat 5 and isn't driving with the rear hatch open and/or seats folded down.
I admit it !
I drive more crazy in my pickup truck than how I drive my car.
I drive faster in my truck cause I feel safer if I crash knowing my car doesn't offer the same protection.
I sit much higher in my truck giving me the feeling of superiority so I tend to road rage drive
woopud - depending on the jurisdiction, but where I live if the load protrudes beyond 1.2 meters (roughly 4 feet) one has to have a 1 foot square safety flag or a red light on the end that is visible up to 150 meters (162 feet) away.
My 12 ft aluminum boat protrudes 5.5 feet out and I've never been stopped but I tie multiple red or orange strips of flagging tape to the bow and have a light attached that plugs into my trailer harness.
Tip #5 "Watch your loads" explains why they did not use pictures of any Ram 1500's.
"Check the label on the doorjamb to find your vehicle's GVWR."
PAGING Zvieram, Ram or what ever current name you use.
This site must be a GM BIASED site.
Check all your vehicle's fluid levels. Top off your engine oil or if your vehicle is due, have your oil changed. Make sure your vehicle is properly filled with power steering fluid, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and antifreeze/coolant.
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