This post is sponsored by Mobile Zap
On the weekends we love heading out for our family day road trips.
But if you are not prepared it can be dangerous to take the family out for a road trip.
There are some essential things we do to ensure our family stays safe.
3 Road Safety Tips
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Check the car
Before we head off, we stop at the petrol station. We fill the car so we don’t run out of fuel in a place we don’t know.
Then we check the oil and water, ensuring the motor runs well.
Lastly we make sure the tyre pressure is correct for a smooth trip.
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Get the kids organised.
However no trip will be smooth if you have whinging whining kids in the back of the car plus this distraction can be quite dangerous. So ensure they have entertainment for the road trip.
Get music ready to go in the CD player or iPod.
Have a drinks and food prepared. I pack a water bottle for Lewis and a bag of his favourite snacks to pop next to him. Hey whilst you’re getting something for the kids grab a drink and something to nibble on for yourself as well.
Put these in a bag or container nestled in the middle seat with some activities like sticker books, colouring, reading books or E-Tablet. Remember you know your child best, some items may trigger car sickness so choose appropriately.
To keep kids happy doing these activities invest in some stable tables, if your car doesn’t come equipped with a tray table – like the one on a plane.
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Set up your mobile
Now the kids are set, make sure you are set up in the front.
We all know using mobile phones whilst driving is dangerous.
So that’s why we recently visited the Mobile Zap website to obtain a mobile phone holder for the car.
Mobile Zap have a range options for all brands of mobile phones.
I was really impressed with the service I received from Mobile Zap, the first holder I selected didn’t come with a dashboard attachment mechanism. Mobile Zap contacted me to advise I would need to get the extra part or offered to switch my order – I switched my order to an iBolt iPro2. The iBolt iPro2 came with a suction attachment, an inbuilt recharge cable, and had moveable parts to adjust the holder so as to display the phone within the car how I wanted.
The phone was ready to be collected from the Post Office ten days later.
Using the suction mechanism I quickly attached it to the dashboard and clicked the lead into the charger.
I decided to put the phone in the middle of the dash for safety reasons.
Steve can easily answer calls using the speaker, he does not have to look down for his phone; his eyes are still constantly looking through the windscreen.
Plus if we are heading on a day road trip and need to use Google Maps like when we recently visited New Norcia and Whiteman Park, I can input the location required then Steve can easily follow the map as he drives.
This is so much safer than our previous method where I would relay the directions, that always got misinterpreted, which resulted in a small tiff; not very conducive for safe driving.
Now the map is in Steve’s line of sight, out of his hands, Lewis is entertained and the car is running smoothly; ensuring we all stay safe on our future family road trips.
For more road trip tips click HERE.
What is your road safety tip?
Tell me in the comments.
If you would like more travel tips for travel with kids why not sign up for my e-newsletter, it only comes once a month so it won’t clog up your inbox…too much 😉
Linking Up With:
- Essentially Jess #IBOT
- My Brown Paper Packages #WednesdayWanderlust
- Maxabella Loves #WeekendRewind
- A Brit and a Southerner #WeekendWanderlust
- Melting Moments #mmWeeklyWrapUp
- Packing My Suitcase #MondayEscapes
Oh, what a good idea! Your phone becomes a GPS! We do a lot of car travel with our kids. Bringing plenty of things for them to do and eat is essential. #TeamIBOT
I thought the whole GPS systems would be falling by the way side now with smart phones, but they do have the added bonus of telling you step by step hich way to turn.
Awesome tips as always lovely 🙂
Thank you Aleney, I appreciate the positive feedback.
I always pack more than enough food and drinks because you never know what might happen that will hold you up and you will be out for longer than expected.
Thanks for joining in #wednesdaywanderlust
That’s good advice Malinda – pack extra.
Great tips! Love the idea of having a bag prepped with snacks and activities should the littles be getting hungry/bored!;-)
Sadly Jess “I’m Hungry” and I’m Bored” are phrases kids never get tired of saying.
Our kids are pretty great at travelling these days, which is handy because we do a reasonable amount of it. I like the idea of one these suction thingy’s. I might get Boatman one for Father’s Day.
Glad I could help with your Father’s Day shopping Jess.
It is hard to believe we ever survived road trips before all this electronic gadgetry.
I hear you Lyn, we have all become a bit too reliant on modern technology.
I remember those days of big prep for even short road trips. My son was a snacker which meant he could have just had lunch (meager with his appetite) and still be hungry 20 minutes later. Still follows that pattern 15 years later! Still preparation kept our car peaceful and the road trips fun.
My som is exactly the same Elaine, I’m a bit disappointed to hear the snacking is not going to stop any time in the near future.
wow.. lovely.. 😉 tips 😉
Glad you found them useful Sneha
Great tips!! We always check the car too, and instead of kids we take our dog hahaha but he is really quiet, so we don’t have to worry about keeping him busy, de loves being in the car 😀
Thank you for joining #MondayEscapes
I’m just envisioning your dog with his head out the window, the wind blowing through his fur, and a big smile on his face.
hahahaha yesss, he is a very happy boy in the car indeed 😀
Glad to hear it :))
Great tips. I like to have lots of activities on hand for Dora. The iPad is great but when the battery goes flat (even though we have a charger) we have a bag of fun things to occupy her time. The phone holder is a great idea. I love using Google Maps but usually have the phone in the centre console.
That we’v always done Kaz, but having it mounted on the holder is so much safer for the whole family(in so many ways 🙂 )