Road Trip Safety
By: Lauren Murphy
Updated: December 21, 2007
Lots of people will be hitting the highways this weekend to make it home for the holidays. Troopers from the Department of Public Safety encourage everyone to make sure their car is ready for long journeys. They say you should check the tire pressure, treads, battery, windshield wipers, wiper fluid, and antifreeze. "For every ten degrees [drop in temperature] you loose one to two pounds PSI," said Jim Ribel of McWhorters Auto Repair. Ribel also recommends using a quarter instead of a penny to check the treads. If the tread reaches George Washington's head, he says you're good to go. Just in case you don't remember everything on this checklist, the folks at your oil change center will. "They'll check the air pressure, top off the fluid levels, test your antifreeze, and usually they'll do it for free," said Ribel. So really there's only one thing you have to do. "Just ask."
