Before traveling this festive season, ensure your vehicle is roadtrip-ready
Make sure your vehicle is roadworthy to avoid being stranded or breaking down during your roadtrip this holiday season.
If you are planning on driving away from home this festive season, ensure your vehicle is roadtrip-ready so that your holiday isn’t ruined.
To guarantee a smooth and enjoyable festive season journey, it is imperative to conduct a thorough pre-trip vehicle inspection to identify and rectify any potential mechanical issues.
The Automobile Association (AA) gives you some advice to help you travel with peace of mind and avoid unpleasant surprises on the road.
The AA has prepared a handy car maintenance checklist to prepare your car for the road:
– Pop the hood: Check your engine oil and water levels and top up as needed. Make sure your brake fluid is sufficient and don’t forget to top up the water for your windscreen washers.
– Check your car battery: Note any warning signs, including when your car starts sluggishly or if the engine light comes on. Inspect the condition of your car’s battery – if there are leaks or if the battery looks swollen, you should replace it.
– Windscreen wipers: Are your windscreen wipers (front and back) displaying any of the four S’s? If they are streaking, skipping, slipping or squeaking, it might be time for new blades to ensure optimum visibility on your road trip.
– Clean it up: If you’re driving at night, dirty windows will increase glare from the lights of other vehicles and are more prone to steaming up. Similarly, dirty mirrors reflect the lights from cars behind you and can produce glare in your eyes, so clean them up.
– Check your tyres: Inflate your car tyres to the recommended pressure (find this on the inside door panel on the driver’s side or near the fuel tank of your car). Be sure to check your tyre tread too.
The AA said South African regulations stipulate that tyre tread depth must measure a minimum of 1 millimetre across the circumference of the tyre. Don’t forget to check the condition of your spare tyre too.
– Lights on: From front to back, check that all your car lights are in working order. This includes your indicators, brights, and emergency hazard lights.
– Don’t overload the car: Exceeding that maximum capacity puts your safety at risk – overloaded vehicles are less stable on the road and can be difficult to steer. Overloaded vehicles are sluggish at overtaking and take longer to stop. You’ll find your car’s maximum weight capacity printed on the driver’s door.
The AA said in case of emergency, whether your car gets a flat battery or breaks down on the side of the road, there are some things you always need to keep with you in the car.
Check out our list of essential items to keep in your car.
– Map your route: Always make sure that you’ve taken the time to familiarise yourself with your road trip route. Typically, traffic volumes on all of South Africa’s major routes increase over the holiday season on the N3, and N1 and N2 to Cape Town, as holidaymakers go to various destinations.
– Always have an alternative route in mind, and stay up to date with road conditions and traffic issues on your planned route.
According to a reputable tyre manufacturing company, when planning to travel, motorists need to ensure regular checks on their vehicle, especially before a long journey.
They recommend that you check:
– oil level
– brake fluid
– brake pads
– cooling fluid
– windscreen washer fluid
– windscreen wipers functioning correctly
– lights functioning correctly
“If you don’t know how or don’t want to do it yourself, take your car to a professional to have it checked. For long journeys, take spare fluids with you (oil, windscreen washer fluid, cooling fluid).”
Make sure your vehicle is equipped with these items:
– A triangle
– A safety vest
– A jack and spanner to change the wheel in case of a puncture
– A fire extinguisher.
Other useful equipment:
– A blanket
– A first aid kit
– A flashlight
– A pair of gloves.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.
