Whether you live in central London and are planning a car journey to Scotland or reside somewhere like Glenrothes and want to drive to the South Coast, ensuring your car’s tyres are up to the job is important. This is even more the case when you will have children travelling with you as passengers. Of course, the safety of all a car’s occupants is crucial and something you shouldn’t underestimate. That being said, compromising on the safety of younger lives is particularly problematic.
Note that, children – especially younger kids – can be a distraction on long car journeys when they get bored. Given this can be the case wherever you choose to travel in the UK, you’ll want to know that your tyres give you the control and grip you need so you can deal with emergencies on the road even if there is a lot of noise and commotion in your car. What should you do before heading out on a road trip with children?
Confirm Your Tyre Pressure
Many people drive with underinflated tyres and it is not a good thing. When tyres are even a few PSI beneath the recommended level, they will flatten out on the tarmac. This means it takes a few moments more for your car to respond when you steer, something that could make the difference between hitting an obstacle or avoiding it. Equally, flattened tyres mean you cannot brake as effectively. With lots of kids on board, you may think the additional weight will mean pumping your tyres up so that they’re more pressured than normal. Don’t do this because overinflated tyres are more liable to blowouts as well as being more likely to wear down faster.
Check the Tread
You should always drive on tyres with sufficient tread to get you to the end of your journey and still have some more tread left at the end of it. Replace any tyres that are approaching their legal limit. Don’t wait until they’ve gone past it. Use a tread gauge to confirm the remaining depth of your tyres’ tread. Replace any that need it before hitting the open road with children wherever you may be. If you are in search of value tyres, premium tyres and brand tyres at low prices locally – book your tyres in Glenrothes at Fife Autocentre.
Be Able to Access Your Spare
Legally, you don’t need to drive with a spare tyre on board with you. This is the case on any British roads from the M25 ring road to the A92 trunk road between Dunfermline and Aberdeen. However, when travelling with kids, it is always advisable to have a functioning spare in case of emergencies. Some spares might only allow you to drive a further 60 miles or so but this can make the difference between awaiting a rescue vehicle on the hard shoulder for hours with bored children or completing your journey and having a new tyre fitted the next day.
Have Your Tracking Checked
Finally, tracking and wheel balancing are services that are often worth paying for ahead of a long road trip with children. If your wheels are misaligned, then you can feel a pull on your steering wheel from one side to the other. Correcting this manually over a long journey isn’t easy, particularly when kids may be bored, arguing with one another or constantly making requests of you. Have your wheels aligned professionally if you know there is a pull at the moment before the problem gets worse. This will also help to preserve the life of your tyres as they won’t be pulling against one another as you drive.