Welcome to summer auto travel season when we all crowd on highways and byways struggling to make it to the cottage, lake, or campground in record time while keeping family passengers comfortable and quiet. Here are five ways to help you have a safe roadtrip this summer.
Airbag Roulette Riding in a vehicle with your feet resting on the dash is risky. When collisions strong enough to deploy vehicle airbags occur, they come out of the dash at around 100 miles per hour, and so have the velocity and force to do major damage to human tissue and bones. Don’t ever let anyone rest their feet on an air bag equipped dash.
Trailer Wheel Bearings and Spare Tires If you’re pulling a trailer you don’t want to leave it stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire while you look for help. Whether you own the trailer or are borrowing one, make sure it has a proper spare tire, check the pressure and have the wheel bearings checked and repacked with grease before heading out.
Speaking of Flats You’ll find that tires inflate much faster and easier if there is no weight on them. Whether you’re using a hand-pump, battery-operated compressor, or aerosol-can inflator, use a jack to lift the wheel just off the ground and it will inflate much easier and quicker than trying to do it with the weight of the vehicle or trailer on it.