Invited to dinner a distance from your home this year for Thanksgiving? Using your car, truck, SUV, Minivan to get there? Well now is the time to start thinking about a little preventative vehicle maintenance before hitting the road. The last thing you want is to be late for dinner or miss out on the apple pie.
Reports show more than 54 million Americans will journey more than 50 miles away from home. Last year, AAA estimated 51.8 million traveled during the Thanksgiving holiday, a 4.8 percent increase. And prior to last year, in 2016 more than 49 million cars were on the road. This upward trend has continued as far back as 2005.
The report says the majority of this year’s travelers, or 48.5 million will hit the road using an automobile for travel. Traffic congestion will start to increase on Monday, especially in the evenings when travelers leave after their workday and increase through Wednesday. Sunday will be the busiest day of the holiday when travelers return home.
How can you best get your automobile prepared for your roundtrip road trip? Here are tips plus a few other goodies:
Vehicle Readiness Checklist
A long trip to a relative’s house during Thanksgiving is a bad time to make this discovery if you cannot see properly through your windshield during inclement weather, you are increasing the possibility of a crash. Be sure your wipers are ready for whatever weather mother nature can throw at you.
2. Gas Consumption
Be sure your car has a full tank of gas when you head out on that Thanksgiving trip. Running out of fuel in the middle of nowhere will make your holiday more stressful. But you should also make sure your engine is running correctly as well.
3. Tire Check
You should always check your tires before long trips, and this is especially true during holiday travels. A tire that’s overinflated or underinflated can wear unevenly. In some cases, excessive wear from tires that are not properly inflated can cause a blowout. You should also keep an eye out for excessive tread wear.
4. Brake Check
Make sure your brakes are in good shape by checking your brake pads and rotors. If your rotor spins unevenly or has a gouge in it, then you may have a brake issue that could put your family at risk during your trip.
Check fluid levels including engine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid, windshield wiper fluid, and power steering fluid. Being stuck on the road being out of any of these would make for a not so happy Thanksgiving.
Turn on headlights and high beams to make certain they work on both sides of vehicle. Check taillights and brake lights, both sides. You may need two people to check brake lights.
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Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays when it comes to visiting family and friends. Make sure you get to where you’re going safely by visiting. Stay safe and have a great holiday with friends and family!
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