Driving Home For Christmas

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Not long now for that big Christmas dinner with all the family and I can't wait.

For the past 4 years I have spent Christmas with my partners family down in Southampton. With us living 4 and half hours away we don't get to visit as often as we like so always make sure we make up for it on the holidays.

The drive is long and I always make sure I have things prepared incase of a traffic jam ex. water, food, magazines etc...

On one of our trips a few years ago we had a major car problem. We were going down the motorway and all I remember is my partner looking at me and pressing the gas pedal. All power was gone! We spent the next 2 hours sat on the side of the road with the dog waiting for the RAC to come rescue us.

What that trip has done to me is made me think about more than just the food and water. I now take a blanket as this is something I didn't have and at 9pm it was cold!

My partner is very good when it comes to car safety he checks tyre pressure, oil and brakes everytime before we leave. We also have a fully stocked car of all the emergency equipment. We have a new Landrover Defender which he is very passionate about so he is always checking everything proforms perfectly.

Please if you are travelling this Christmas be safe, remember to always check your tyres before going on a long journey. Some of the most important things to check is the Pressure, the Tread and the Condition and if you feel that you need a tyre expert’s opinion or that your tyres need to be replaced, you can buy cheap tyres online from Point S website without any initial payment.’

Tyres are the only parts of the car which are in contact with the road and safety in acceleration, braking, steering and cornering all depend on this relatively small area of road contact.

It is so import for tyres to be maintained in good condition at all times and the correct tyre replacements are fitted when they need to be replaced.

Cars differ in the amount of pressure needed in each tyre so checker handbook or online. To check tread you can do the 20p test. Use the part on a 20p that I have marked with a red line to measure the tread size. If a tread is not as deep as this check with a garage to see if it needs replacing.

Also check if tyres are perished, look for cracks in the tyres and sidewalls and feel for vibration.

Also make sure you have the proper equipment in your car to be able to remove the tyre. ( I was in a friends car the other week and she had a flat. I went to change it I got it all up on the jack to realise she didn't have the key to take off the hub cover, luckily a passer by had one). Make sure the spare is in a good condition too.

A torch, warning triangle and hi vis jacket will also come in handy for changing a tyre in the dark to alert passes by.

I know this is different to what I normally write about but I feel strongly about it.

Be safe this Christmas, hope you all have an amazing time and I wish you all the best whether you are staying put or driving somewhere this Christmas

Carrieanne xx

*This is a collaborative post thoughts and words are my own