The holiday season for many means gathering together with family and loved ones. Those gatherings often involve a road trip or two. Depending on where you live, traveling in winter can be daunting, between worries about snow and ice, shortened daylight hours and more. But, with a few tips in mind, you can make sure you and your car are ready for that holiday road trip.
Before embarking on your road trip, be sure to prep your vehicle for winter road conditions. At the very least, check the basics:
You should also consider getting any cracksor chips in your auto glass repaired, as well as damage to the auto body. Glass expands and contracts with temperature fluctuations, and a small chip or crack can become a large one if exposed to moisture. Damage to the auto body can also become worse when exposed to winter weather conditions – scratches and chips can incur rustfrom moisture and road salt. It’s better to protect the condition of your vehicle and get small repairs taken care of before your winter road trip than to incur more damage while you’re traveling.
Check the weather before you leave and be sure to not just check your current location, but also the weather at your destination and along your route. If you know snow or ice is expected, you can plan accordingly by prepping your car, or even change the timing of your travel if possible.
Make sure you understand the different weather alerts as well, such as travel advisories and travel warnings, and how they could impact your drive.
Every car should have an emergency kit in case you become stranded. In winter, this is especially important. Some items to include in your winter travel emergency kit are blankets, a car phone charger, shelf-stable food, water, a shovel and cat litter or sand (for traction), and more.
For a full list of what to include, check out our guide for stocking your winter weather emergency kit.
It may sound obvious, but one of the best things you can do on a winter road trip is drive carefully. Weather conditions can change quickly, and roads can freeze even if it’s just raining, depending on the road temperature. Leave plenty of space between your car and other vehicles in case you need to make a sudden stop. Make sure to leave with plenty of time to reach your destination, even if you hit unexpected delays or bad weather, and be prepared to pause your travels if the weather becomes too bad.
Road trips during the holidays often mean traveling with family, and especially little ones. If you’re traveling with a child in a car seat, be sure to remove any bulky clothing before putting them in the car seat. This includes winter jackets, vests, snow suits and more.
While you can put a blanket over the car seat, nothing should go into the car seat or beneath the car seat straps unless it was sold with the seat.
Winter road trips can be daunting, but they don’t need to be. With some easy preparations and key points in mind, you can help ensure safe travels to your destination.
If you find yourself stranded due to an accident in winter weather, Carwise can help. Find a reputable collision repair shop near you by searching Carwise.com, where you’ll find shop contact information, hours and locations, as well as reviews from real customers, before and after photos, and certifications. With more than 21,000 shops to choose from nationwide, Carwise will help you find the right shop near you. Start your search from wherever you are: https://www.carwise.com/auto-body-shops/.
