Central Insurance Blog

Don’t Forget Your Pre-Trip Vehicle Inspection!

August 22, 2019

It’s that time of year again…end of summer break! Some parents try to squeeze in last-minute vacations with their kids before the break comes to an end. Or maybe, school just started, and it’s time for the fall sports season, which means more traveling to regional schools for away games. It’s a busy time of year for many families, so it’s easy to forget to inspect your vehicle before taking off on a road trip. Here are a few important things to check on your vehicle before speeding off to your destination.

Windshield wipers – Make sure your wipers are working properly and don’t leave streaks that impair your vision.
Lights – Verify all lights on your car are working. This includes headlights (low beam and high beam), tail lights, brake lights, turn signal lights, reverse lights, and hazard lights.
Brakes – Brake pads should be at least 5 mm thick.
Fluids – Make sure your coolant, oil, and brake fluid levels aren’t low and check the ground beneath where your car is parked to ensure nothing is leaking.
Tires – Tread depth should be checked, along with tire pressure.
Spare Tire – Make sure you have a spare tire that’s fully inflated and a car jack and lug wrench to remove a tire if the spare is needed.
Steering – Take your car for a quick test drive down the road and see if your car heavily pulls to the right or left when you let go of the steering wheel. If so, your alignment may need to be corrected.

Of course, you always hope your trip goes well, but in case something does go wrong while on the road, you’ll also want an emergency kit that includes items like a flashlight, jumper cables, a first-aid kit, blankets, extra phone chargers, etc. Roadside Assistance is also a great tool that many insurance carriers include in their auto policies. Talk to your local independent insurance agent to see if your auto policy includes Roadside Assistance, to learn more about it, or to add it to your policy!

Safe travels everyone!

Here’s a video from Central for more tips: