Holiday Car Care Tips

The last thing you need during the busy holiday travel season is car trouble. That’s why the insurance pros at The Hanover have put together these five easy-to-follow tips for preparing your car for travel duty:

“1. Whether your trip is 50 or 500 miles, take time to check, change or top-off your oil, coolant, brake and transmission fluids. This helps important car systems to perform well.

If your windshield wipers are not working well or are more than six months old, it’s a good idea to replace them. Bad windshield wipers make driving in the rain on unfamiliar roads more dangerous.
Have your tires checked and consider having them rotated. Err on the side of caution by replacing any tires that look suspect, as tire blow-outs can be dangerous. Replacing a flat tire while on your trip can also deflate an enjoyable family getaway.
Check your headlights and taillights to make sure all are working. New bulbs are easy to install, inexpensive, improve visibility and safety. Importantly, in most states you can also receive a traffic violation for a non-working vehicle exterior light.
Perhaps the most simple and often forgotten pre-road trip tip is to clean your windows on the inside and out to increase visibility. During the holidays, many are traveling on unfamiliar roads and often in the dark, so having good visibility is important.”

These are good tips, but we’re a bit surprised that an insurance company didn’t include a tip to check your auto insurance policy, and to make any changes you deem necessary. (This time of year often affords you with a little extra time off to attend to such things.)

For instance, make sure you’re carrying enough liability coverage, since the state-mandated minimums people often carry are not really high enough to deal with a claim against you in this litigious society we call home.

Drive carefully, and have a safe holiday season!