Nearly 47 million people will be traveling 50 or more miles from home this holiday season, according to Auto Trader, with nearly a quarter (22%) traveling almost 100 miles in their cars. That’s a lot of cars on the road, and you’ll be jockeying for position with them if you’re planning on doing some holiday travel as well. The key to a successful road trip for the holidays is a well-oiled machine — specifically, your vehicle. Don’t wait till the last minute to hop in the car and take off. Prepare well ahead of time by getting a tuneup on your car, making sure the oil is topped off, getting problem areas fixed with auto body repair and filling it up with premium gas.

Tips for Prepping Your Car

Before setting out, heed these helpful tips so as to reduce the chances of breakdowns and accidents while on the roadways:

• Take a look at your tire pressure and fill tires with air if low. Add oil and coolant if necessary and take your car through the car wash.
• Re-set your mileage so you can track exactly how many miles you’ll be traveling.
• Set your GPS system to the destination ahead of time so you’re not hurrying to do that when you have all the kids loaded up in the car.
• Turn on all driver assistance systems, such as Blind Spot Detection, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.
• Check the forecast to ensure you won’t be hitting any weather snafus. Just because it’s calm and clear at home doesn’t mean it isn’t stormy somewhere along the way.
• Visit the Federal Highway Administration’s website for national traffic and road closure notifications.
  
• Heading to a cold or snowy locale? Pack the car with ice scrapers, ice melt, hand warmers, flares, cables and blankets. Keep a cell phone charger in your glove compartment at all times as well.

A couple of weeks before, get anything repaired on your vehicle that you’ve been meaning to address. This includes broken headlights or taillights and even auto body repair from that accident you got into a few months back. Having a well-functioning car that looks good will help make your trip a more enjoyable one.

Staying safe this holiday season means doing all of the above but also obeying the rules of the road and ensuring everyone in the car is wearing their seatbelts. Reducing the risk of accidents and break downs is important as you navigate to your destination. Traffic is an inevitable factor you’ll have to deal with, so keep a safe distance behind the car in front of you and drive defensively. If you do get into a fender bender, you can rely on Hance’s Uptown Collision Center to fix the damage when you return. 

Contact Hance’s Uptown Collision Center

Located conveniently in Dallas and Plano, Hance’s Uptown Collision Center is your first choice for superior collision repair and auto body work. Contact us to schedule an appointment for auto body repair, collision repair or paintless dent repair. Our hours are Mon–Thur: 7:30am – 5:30pm and Friday: 7:30am – 5:00pm. Check out our website regularly for money-saving coupons, specials and much more. On behalf of Hance’s Uptown Collision Center, we wish you a happy and SAFE holiday season!