Family Safety - Safe Travel on Your Family Vacation - July 2007

The family road trip is a classic American tradition. However, the fun can end abruptly if you or a loved one is injured in an auto accident while traveling to your vacation destination.

To help ensure that your family vacation is a healthy and happy time for your entire family, follow these simple safety tips:

Before leaving home, make sure your vehicle is in top working condition.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advises travelers to check the following items before taking a car on a long road trip:

• tires, belts, and hoses
• engine coolant system
• wiper blades
• fluids, including oil, brake, transmission, steering, coolant, and windshield washing fluids
• lights
• air conditioning

Most full service gas stations and oil change locations will check all of these items during a routine tune up. In addition, consult your vehicle owner’s manual for other maintenance needs, like battery checks and tire rotations. Finally, if you are planning on hauling a boat or trailer, carefully check the hitch, brake lights, and other trailer safety gear.

When packing for the trip, put an Emergency Roadside Kit in your car.  The National Highway Safety Administration suggests that your kit include the following items:

• water
• nonperishable food
• any necessary medication
• jumper cables
• duct tape
• equipment to change a tire (jack, work gloves)
• change of clothes
• basic repair tools
• flares and a white flag
• first aid kit

Once you are on the road, do not let impatience to reach your vacation destination cloud your judgment. In particular, be sure to slow down when driving through highway construction zones. Sadly, work zone accidents kill over 700 people and injure another 37,000 every year. The failure to use extra caution in highway work zone can also be costly. Many states have enacted tough laws to protect highway construction workers. In Michigan, the penalties for speeding include double fines and additional points on your driver’s record. A motorist faces up to one year in prison for injuring a worker and up to 15 years for killing a worker, as well as fines of up to $7,500.

While you are on vacation, do not forget the basic safety principles you practice every day. Make sure that you and everyone else in your family always wears a safety belt. If you are traveling with small children, put each one in a proper safety seat. If you make a stop, do not leave children or pets in the car, because the inside temperature can rise to a dangerous level in just a few minutes.

Of course, never drink and drive. Wherever you go and whatever you do on vacation, either designate a driver who drank no alcohol or arrange for alternative transportation. Remember that a .08 blood alcohol content is now the legal limit throughout the United States. In Michigan, a first offense for exceeding this limit could carry the following penalties:

• One or more of the following:
  
  • Up to 93 days in jail
  • $300 fine
  • Up to 360 hours of community service
• 90-day license restriction
• 4 points on your driving record
• Immobilization of your vehicle for up to 180 days

Lastly, avoid driving when you are tired. The tragic fact is that fatigue is a factor in nearly 100,000 accidents contributes to 4% of fatal crashes every year. Before vacation, some people wear themselves out just getting ready to leave, while others miss sleep enjoying themselves every moment they are away. Whatever you tend to do, make it a point to get enough rest to stay fully alert at the wheel. While traveling, you can maximize safety by stopping about every two hours, switching drivers each time you stop, and avoiding late night driving.

The family road trip is certainly a great tradition, but the wonderful memories can turn into painful memories if you are not careful on the road. In planning your next trip, do not forget the safety measures that will help bring everyone in your family home happy -- and looking forward to your next vacation together.