KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Over 92 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more over the holidays, and 90 percent of them are traveling by car. But many of those travelers could find their plans derailed because their cars aren’t up to the trip.
According to AAA, an estimated 800,000 people will need some kind of roadside assistance over the next 11 days. Jason Schneider, a mechanic with Value Auto Clinic, says that it’s old advice but it can’t be stressed enough: Before you hit the road, get your car checked by a professional.
“We get a lot of people that come in these holiday weeks, right before the holiday, and it’s usually one of the first things out of their mouths is, going on a trip, want to get this checked out,” said Schneider.
Schneider says that in a time of do-it-yourself projects to save a little money, it’s still worth it to have a professional look at your car before a road trip, especially since modern cars are a bit more complicated than cars of decades past. AAA reports that the most common service that people will require is help with a dead battery – nationwide, the group estimates that it will jump-start or replace over 194,000 batteries during the travel period.
In addition to the battery, Schneider says that you also need to check your tires – including the spare.
“You would be surprised, a lot of people don’t even have a spare in their cars. It’s been taken out for one reason or another and forgotten, and it’s usually found out when you need it,” said Schneider, who says that if the temperature gets low enough, you could lose up to half of your tire pressure.
Schneider also recommends having the tread on your tires checked to make sure your car doesn’t start skidding because of a lack of traction. In addition, he recommends keeping extra blankets and water in your car in case of an emergency.