Safe Journeys and Happy Gatherings: Friendsgiving Travel Tips

Fall is beautiful when the leaves start to change and the temperature drops. It also signifies the holidays are right around the corner. One holiday celebration that some people can't wait for is Thanksgiving. Enjoy spending time with your friends over a delicious meal, just follow these tips so you get to your Friendsgiving gathering safely. 

Plan Your Trip

Your trip doesn't start when you leave your house — it starts in the planning phase. The first thing you should do is plan out your route. Nowadays, it's as simple as putting your destination into your phone's GPS to see how long the journey will take. You should double-check the route for construction zones or road closures that could delay your trip.

Another thing to check is the forecast. If you see inclement weather on the horizon, adjust your departure time to make your life easier. You don't want to drive in adverse weatherDriving Information Driving Conditions Adverse Weather Conditions Driversed.com if you can avoid it.

Maintain Your Vehicle

Now that you have planned your route, you'll need to do a once-over of your vehicle. You'd rather be having a laugh at Friendsgiving than sitting on the shoulder with a broken-down car. Follow this handy vehicle maintenance checklistTrending Tips Keeping Your Automobile Tip Top Shape Driversed.com before you leave:

• Top off your fluids — Top off your brake, coolant, power steering, oil, transmission, and windshield fluids. Also, verify that your oil is in good condition. If you are traveling far for Friendsgiving, consider getting an oil change before you leave.

• Check your tires — The tread on your tires should be at least 1/16" deep and properly inflated. Try the penny testVehicle Safety Tire Safety Safety Center for a quick tread evaluation, and check the inside of your driver's door for the proper PSI levels.

• Read your manual — Do a quick run-through of the maintenance log in your driver's manual to verify you don't have any upcoming vehicle services.

Practice Safe Driving

Before you head to the festivities, you'll want to minimize the chances of distracted drivingTrending Dangers Distracted Driving Us Driversed.com. Start by loading up your navigation app and putting in your destination so you won't have to tinker with the GPS on the road. Next, load up your favorite playlist, audiobook, or podcast, to entertain you on your journey. Finally, make yourself comfortable and focus on the trip ahead of you. Distracted driving caused over 3,000 deaths in 2022Distracted Driving Risky Driving. It's just one more reason to focus.

Once you get on the road, safe driving practices are key. Avoid being an aggressive driverResources Terms Aggressive_driving Driversed.com and follow the speed limit, yield to others, and never tailgate. Instead, practice defensive techniques like maintaining a safe following distance, adhering to posted traffic signs, and driving appropriately for the weather conditions.

Share Drive Time

What's better than having travel buddies to keep you company and share the driving with on a long road trip? Depending on how many people you're traveling with, split up the wheel time equally and in small chunks. There's no need for everyone to take four- or five-hour shifts. Swap drivers every hour or so to stay fresh and focused. Take advantage of rest stops to get out of the car, grab a bite to eat, and give your legs a nice stretch.

Tips for a Safe Trip

The sections above cover the basics, but here are a few safety tips you should also adhere to:

• Get plenty of sleep — Get at least eight hours of sleep the night before a road trip. Remember, drowsy driving is just as dangerous as drunk drivingTrending Drowsy Driving Dont Be A Victim Driversed.com. 

• Watch out for deer — Fall is mating season for deer and other animalsDriving Information Sharing The Road With Others Avoiding Collisions With Animals Driversed.com. It's when they're the most active. Keep an eye out for them, especially during dawn and dusk hours. 

• Give yourself ample time — Don't be someone who leaves home with no time to spare. Add inappropriate resting time in addition to accounting for potential traffic delays. 

• Never drink and drive — We should never have to state it, but avoid alcohol before or during a road trip.

If you have any additional safe travel tips or any interesting learning experiences you went through, please share them in the comments section!

Arrive at Friendsgiving Safely and Celebrate    

Friendsgiving is the perfect event to enjoy the company of your loved ones that you might not get to see too often. Practicing safe driving will increase the chances of arriving safely and in time for turkey. One way to brush up on your driving skills is by signing up for a driver's ed courseDrivers Ed Driversed.com. Our driving course will teach you how to drive safely and is entirely online.