My husband and I enjoy road trips with our children.  The times our children are asleep, or awake but happy in their car seats provides us with a rare chance for  uninterrupted adult conversation.  There are limits to this of course and we schedule our road trips to cater to the needs of our children as well as ourselves.  This means not pushing the limits if someone is cranky in the back seat, plenty of play times outside, and over-nighting rather than pushing through.  Most importantly though, we prioritize the safety of our two little boys.

With that in mind, the following are my top ten safety tips for a family road trip:

1. Before you leave check the oil, brake fluid, tyre pressure and windscreen water.
2. Plan your route and pay attention to weather warnings that may be in effect such as flash flooding and storm warnings.
3. Use child car restraints that comply with Australian (or US) legislation at all times.  This will maximize the safety of your children on the road as well as avoid tough penalties.
4. Never drive through flood water.
5. Be responsive to the conditions, this means being prepared to sit it out if your vision is obscured by heavy rain.
6. While it may be tempting to drive at night when children are asleep in the car avoid doing this.   Driving at times when you are normally asleep puts you at a higher risk of falling asleep at the wheel – with potentially devastating consequences.
7. Before you depart join a motor club which provides roadside assistance.
8. Don’t let fuel run low.  The consequences of an empty tank are more profound if you have a baby or small child to care for while you seek out an emergency fuel supply.
9. If driving in very cold conditions ensure you have adequate cold weather gear in the car for all family members in the event of a breakdown.
10. When driving remotely ensure you carry an adequate water supply in case of a breakdown.

I would love to hear from anyone that has other safety tips for when they road trip with their family.

This post is linked to Travel Tips Tuesday at Walking on Travels and Suitcases and Sippy Cups.

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