With the Memorial Day holiday behind us, and Independence Day and Labor Day coming within the next few months, insurance companies around the country want their clients to be aware of ways to ensure their summer road trips are safe ones.
The tips vary in detail from company to company, but most, among them Safe Auto and AAA, include the following advice:
- Check your tires. Incorrect tire pressure causes the waste of roughly two million gallons of gas each year.
- Drive the speed limit. Speeding and aggressive driving (rapid acceleration and braking) also waste fuel. On city streets, sticking to the speed limit can improve your fuel economy by up to 5%, and on the open highway that number increases to 33%.
- Handle routine maintenance before you leave. A minor issue isn’t a big deal if you’re three miles from home, but it can become a major issue in the middle of no-where on a cross-country trip.
- Have an emergency kit that includes flares, water, snacks, blankets, wet-wipes, a flashlight, a charged and active cell phone, and a phone number for emergency roadside assistance. Consider some emergency cash as well, in case you break down somewhere where they don’t take plastic.
- Make sure your insurance coverage is up to date, and if your premium due-date is during your trip, either schedule a payment in advance, or make other arrangements to get the payment in on time. You don’t want to run into a problem and be unable to fix it because your policy has lapsed.
Summer road trips may be less popular this year because of the rising price of gas, but if you do take one, following the above advice will help get you to your destination safely, as well as save you some money.