By Samuetta Hill Drew
In another century, the lyrics from a poem later turned into a song “Over the river and through the woods; to grandmother’s house we go; the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh;…” transcended time and is often sung by choirs in schools across the country. The original song speaks to fond memories of the author’s family traveling to their grandmother home for the holidays. Well, we’re not crossing the river, going through the woods in a sleigh any longer to our grandmother’s home for the holidays but, we do continue the tradition of traveling over the holiday season. Our mode of transportation, thankfully, has been upgraded to cars, trucks and SUVs as we travel to family, friends and various sporting events during this time of year. Traveling involves some pre-planning relative to housing, food clothing and travel routes. This week we want to review a few vehicle safety tips which should be included in your pre-planning for the holiday season.
Tip One: Tire Pressure – Always check your tire pressure before traveling. The weather patterns change often this time of year from regions within the state as well as regions outside our state. As you know, the change of weather can alter the tire pressure, sometimes creating unsafe travel conditions, if not checked and addressed properly.
Tip Two: Refueling – Make sure when traveling you maintain a reasonable amount of gasoline in your tank for two important reasons. Unfortunately during this season many accidents occur resulting in slow travel pace or sometimes a detour off the main road. You do not want to be in a position where you are low on fuel and could become stranded off the side of the road. Note, cellular telephone and/or navigation systems receptions are not always available in some areas while traveling. The second reason is that all gasoline stops are not located in a safe area especially for females traveling alone or with small children. This decreases the risk of someone following you once you return to your travel route. Do Not display a great deal of cash if you purchase items in the convenience store associated with the gasoline station nor leave your car doors opened or an open purse on display, if you go into the store portion of the gasoline station.
Tip Three: Notification – Make sure you notify a friend and/or family member of your travel plans and route. Contact these individuals when you begin your travel and when you arrive. You should also give them a description of the clothing you’re wearing or take a selfie and forward it to them before leaving, especially if you’re traveling alone.
Remember following these or any other safety tips can never guarantee nothing adversely will ever happen to you or your love ones, but it does help decrease the possibility by keeping an eye on safety.
