Holiday road safety

With the upcoming holiday season, many of us will be on the road, traveling to and from family gatherings. In order to make sure we're safe and ready for our trip, let's make some easy adjustments.

Take five minutes today and make an appointment for Monday or Tuesday to have the car serviced (check oil, fluids, tires, spare tire etc), or set some time aside to do it yourself. Places like Jiffy Lube will often give you free in-between service top-ups on your oil and fluids which is great if you're on the road for quite some time.

If your car looks anything like mine, this is the time to get a plastic trash bag and collect those wrappers and empty pop cans, soggy cheerios and what else you carry around in the back of your car and throw them away! If there's too much, just grab the first twenty things! You can pick another twenty items tomorrow :-) These items become dangerous flying objects if you have to hit the brakes suddenly.

At this point you might want to check and see if your registration papers and proof of insurance is in the glovebox. No? Let's find them before you go on the road and while you're at it, check expiration dates and know what you are covered for.

Now think of the trip that's ahead. That might not be necessarily a long roadtrip, it could be just a drive into town in the early hours of the morning to get your shopping done. Do you have in your car what it takes to provide for you and your family in case you get stranded, in an accident or lost?

Find a small tote or a backpack: this will be your car-pack. Filled with the necessities to keep you warm, hydrated and alert it will allow you to feel less overwhelmed in case something happens. Keep it in the trunk of the car, or behind the driver's chair. If you have small kids that might get into your car-pack, you may want to keep it underneath the driver's or passenger's chair.

So what can we carry in our car-pack? One of our ladies works for the Idaho State Police and she had the following suggestions:

- Flares, glow sticks and a flash light

- A basic First Aid kit

- Waterproof matches, a lighter and a large votive candle (a candle will heat the vehicle in case you get stuck in a winter storm)

- Granola bars, nuts or some candy bars

- Several bottles of water

- A warm blanket

- Boot/hand warmers (about 2 for $1.00 at the grocery checkouts) or those thermopatches for backaches, they will warm your whole body and keep you at a decent temperature for quite some time.

- A small and a large ice scraper

- A cell phone and car adapter

- A phone card and some cash

- Extra gloves, snowpants, hat/ear muffs, socks, several pairs, extra shoes, snow boots (depending on the severity of the weather in your area)

In the trunk you could place a small tote with a small bag of sand, ice melt or clean cat litter for traction in the trunk, a small foldable shovel and a reflective triangle.

Also carry with you a roadmap of the area.

Now.....do you know where your spare tire is? How to get to it, and how to use the jack, in case you had to? Make sure everything is in order!

If you are traveling alone, let somebody know when and where you will be traveling to and the year/make/model/color of your vehicle, and don't forget to mention your license plate number. You may want to write those down right now, while you are reading this. Leave a copy at home by the phone or with a friend, and place a piece of paper with the information in your car-pack. If we're in a stressfull situation like a crash or an accident, sometimes we can't remember simple things like that when asked.

One last suggestion for when you are on the road... Know where you are. Be alert and aware, keep track of landmarks and mile markers. Make it into a game with the kids, or track your progress on a map (not while you are driving !).

Know what highway, byway or interstate you're on, and if you're crossing state borders you may want to consider resetting your trip-o-meter. Why? If you have to call emergency services because you're on the side of the road with a flat tire, you'll be able to tell them, "I'm heading North on such-and-such highway, I'm forty one miles into the state of Nevada, and I'm stranded on the right hand side of the road in such-and-such vehicle with this-and-that license plate number and I just passed the Lucky Dog casino on my left" instead of the, according to our law enforcement friend, more usual, "Eh................ I think I am in Nevada but don't know what road and all I can see is a whole lot of eh......nothing". That's not helpful!

Imagine if the situation is worse than just a flat tire. Knowing your location could save a life.

Now get that car ready for the trip, take a deep breath and enjoy this time with friends and family!

P.S. The Boise Army/Navy store on Chinden Blvd has some great items for your car-pack, and at very affordable prices. Flares, scrapers, fleece, gloves and solar emergency blankets for less than two dollars! These also make great stocking stuffers :-)