Family Road Trip Safety: How to Prep Your Vehicle Before Holiday Travel

The trip is 3 weeks out. There are 4 of you plus a car seat, a cooler, and somebody's dog. The car has not been looked at since July, and it got 25 degrees colder in 2 weeks.

Family road trip safety is not really about the car breaking down. It comes down to 3 things that only show up on a long drive with kids aboard: tires nobody checked since summer, a car seat that fits differently in winter clothes, and a driver 6 hours in who will not admit he is tired.

Here is the pre-trip pass I run, and where federal guidance stays silent.

What should you check on your car before a long family road trip?

Start with the recall lookup. It is free, takes a minute, and is the only item here a shop cannot see by looking. NHTSA recommends checking your VIN against its database for unrepaired safety recalls, and that lookup covers the last 15 years.

Then work NHTSA's pre-trip list, which extends the monthly car maintenance checklist:

• Scheduled service. Tune-up, oil change, battery check and tire rotation, before the trip.

• Coolant. Full reservoir, checked with the engine cool. Flush and refill if it is clear, rusty or gritty. See a mechanic if it looks sludgy or oily.

• Other fluids. Oil, brake, transmission or clutch, power steering, washer. Look underneath for leaks too.

• Belts and hoses. Bulges, blisters, cracks, cuts.

• Wiper blades. Wear or deformation.

• Floor mats. Never stack them, use the correct size, secure them with the retention clips, and confirm the driver's mat goes back correctly after cleaning. A loose mat can interfere with the pedals.

• Lights. Headlights, brake lights, turn signals, flashers, interior lights, trailer lights if you tow.

The floor mat line is worth 60 seconds because it feels trivial. You vacuum, pull the mats, then shove them back one-handed.

How do you check your tires before a long drive?

Check pressure cold, meaning the car has not been driven for 3 or more hours, and set it to the number on the vehicle rather than the number on the tire. NHTSA's winter driving guidance is blunt: "Do not inflate your tires to the pressure listed on the tire itself."

The right pressure is on the label inside the driver's side door frame, or in the owner's manual. The sidewall number is the tire's maximum, a different thing. NHTSA says check at least monthly and before long trips, and include the spare.

For tread, NHTSA is specific: "the tread should be at least 2/32 of an inch or greater on all tires." Use the wear bars molded into the grooves, or the penny test: a penny in the groove, Lincoln's head down, and if you see the top of his head it is too shallow. Age counts separately from wear, and NHTSA notes some manufacturers recommend replacing tires every 6 years regardless of use.

One honest gap. NHTSA says tire pressure drops as temperature drops, and stops there. Every tire blog hands you a figure per 10 degrees. No NHTSA page publishes one, so I am not repeating it. Put a gauge on all 5 tires on a cold morning instead.

Does cold weather change what you check before a trip?

Yes, in 3 ways, each worse the longer the drive.

Cold cuts battery power. Gas and diesel engines also need more power to start cold, so demand climbs as supply drops. NHTSA recommends a mechanic check the battery, charging system and belts, the same ground the 7 vehicle winterizing checks cover. No voltage number, no replacement age, and I will not invent one.

Electric and hybrid range drops. NHTSA notes EV and hybrid range can fall in low temperatures, and tells EV owners to plug in overnight in winter to keep the battery in its optimal temperature range. If your route runs on charging stops, plan it on the cold number.

Glass is a visibility problem, not a comfort problem. Keep the washer reservoir full of high-quality winter fluid with de-icer, because one snowstorm can use a lot of it. Confirm the defrosters and all wipers work, replace worn blades, and consider heavy-duty winter blades if you get frequent heavy snow or ice.

Before you pull out, check the weather, road conditions and traffic. That is NHTSA's advice in the same document. The National Weather Service adds a step: call 511 for traffic and road information, because "Call before you leave; it might change your plans!" NWS also says to tell someone your timetable and your primary and alternate routes, and avoid traveling alone.

How should kids ride on a long holiday drive?

In the right restraint for their size, in the back seat. It is the highest-value safety decision in the car. NHTSA puts numbers on it: correctly installed car seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers, and about 325 children under 5 were saved in 2017 by being properly buckled.

The NHTSA recommendations by age and size are worth reading straight through, because most parents move kids forward early:

• Birth to 12 months: always a rear-facing car seat.

• Ages 1 to 3: rear-facing as long as possible, up to the seat's top height or weight limit.

• Ages 4 to 7: forward-facing with harness and tether to the seat's limit, then a booster, in the back seat.

• Ages 8 to 12: booster until the belt fits on its own, meaning the lap belt lies low across the upper thighs rather than the stomach, and the shoulder belt crosses the shoulder and chest rather than the neck or face.

Kids belong in the back seat at least through age 12, and that is not a comfort preference. NHTSA states children under 13 should be seated in the back, and that rear-facing car seats should not be placed in front of an active air bag. A frontal air bag inflates in less than 1/20th of a second, and a child too close can suffer serious or fatal injury. An ON-OFF switch may be authorized for a rear-facing infant restraint in the front passenger position only when the vehicle has no rear seat, or the rear seat is too small for it.

That is not an argument against air bags, which the same page credits with saving more than 50,000 lives over 30 years. It is an argument about geometry: air bags were built for adults.

Why should kids not wear a winter coat in a car seat?

Because the coat makes the harness look snug when it is not. NHTSA's winter guidance says heavy coats can interfere with the proper harness fit. The fix: dress children in thin, warm layers, snug the harness against those layers, then put the blanket or coat over the top of the harness.

This is the detail I would hand a parent first in November, because it is the one thing that changed since the summer trip. The seat is the same. The clothing is not. A puffy coat compresses hard in a crash, and the slack inside it becomes slack on the child.

How do you keep from driving drowsy on a long holiday haul?

Plan the breaks before you leave, because the decision gets worse as you get more tired. NHTSA's long-trip advice: schedule breaks to stretch, eat, and switch drivers or rest if you are drowsy.

The risk is bigger than most people assume. NHTSA's drowsy driving page lays out several estimates side by side:

• A 2016 NHTSA data estimate that 2% to 20% of annual traffic deaths are attributable to driver drowsiness.

• AAA Foundation research, which NHTSA cites on its own page (Tefft, 2014, using 1999 to 2013 data), finding drowsiness may have contributed to 6% of all crashes and 21% of fatal crashes.

• Applying that 21% to the 39,508 fatal crashes in 2021, NHTSA estimates more than 8,300 people may have died in drowsy-driving-related crashes that year.

• In a review of 701 crashes from the SHRP2 naturalistic driving study (Owens et al., 2018), drowsiness measured by the share of time a driver's eyes were closed was a possible contributing factor in 8.8% to 9.5% of all crashes, and 10.6% to 10.8% of crashes with air bag deployment, significant property damage, or injury.

Notice how wide that 2% to 20% range is. Drowsiness leaves no residue at a crash scene, and nobody writes "I was asleep" on a report. It is hard to count, not small.

So I pick the stops before pulling out and treat them as appointments, not options. The driver who wants to push through the last 90 minutes is the one you take the keys from. That includes you.

What should you pack in the car for family holiday travel?

Pack for the 2 hours you might spend stopped on a shoulder, not for the drive you expect. NHTSA's winter kit is the cold-weather layer over a year-round roadside emergency kit: snow shovel, broom and ice scraper; abrasive material such as sand or kitty litter for traction; jumper cables, flashlight, and warning devices such as flares and emergency markers; blankets; cell phone and charger, water, food, and necessary medicine.

The National Weather Service list adds what people forget: first-aid kit, high-calorie non-perishable food, extra clothing to keep dry, a water container, tow rope, tool kit, candle and matches, a knife, a large empty can as an emergency toilet with tissues and paper towels, and a small can plus waterproof matches for melting snow into drinking water. NWS also says to carry a compass and paper maps, not just phones with limited battery life.

If you do get stranded in snow, stay with the car. NHTSA's guidance is worth memorizing, because every instinct runs the other way:

• Stay with the vehicle and avoid overexertion.

• Make it visible with bright markers on the antenna or windows, and keep the dome light on.

• "Make sure your exhaust pipe is clear of any snow." This is the step that matters most and gets skipped the most.

• Run the engine only occasionally, long enough to stay warm. Never for long periods with the windows up, or in an enclosed space.

What do holiday crash numbers say about seat belts?

They say the biggest factors are the simplest ones: belts and sober drivers. The figures I can point to are from 2017, in a November 2018 NHTSA press release. During the 2017 Thanksgiving holiday period, 6 p.m. November 22 through 5:59 a.m. November 27, 528 people were killed in crashes nationwide, and about half of the passenger vehicle occupants who died were not wearing seat belts. In 2017, 10,874 people died in crashes involving legally drunk drivers, and seat belts saved 14,955 lives, with 2,549 more savable under universal belt use. Child restraints saved 325 children aged 4 and under in 2017, and 11,606 since 1975.

Those are 2017 numbers, not current-year ones, and I am not estimating a newer count. Everything else here matters less than everyone being buckled on every leg, including the 10 minute run to the store once you arrive.

The part most road trip checklists skip

They tell you to check the car. They do not tell you to check it loaded.

A loaded holiday car is a different vehicle. It is a few hundred pounds heavier, the rear sits lower, the back view is worse, and the tires carry more load than when you set the pressure. Do the last pass after you load:

1. Check the car seat again once the cargo is in. Harness snug over thin layers, nothing wedged against the seat.

2. Look at the tires with the weight in. How they sit, not another gauge reading.

3. Work the pedals from the driver's seat. If the mat shifted while you were loading, this is where you find out.

4. Check the mirrors with the bags where they are. If you cannot see out the back, move something.

5. Call 511 and text your route to someone, including the alternate.

Two of those 5, the car seat and the floor mat, you already checked and then undid by loading. That is the gap.

Frequently asked questions

What should I check on my car before a family road trip?

Start with the free NHTSA VIN recall lookup, which covers safety recalls from the last 15 years. Then work NHTSA's pre-trip list: tune-up, oil change, battery check and tire rotation, fluids, belts and hoses, wiper blades, floor mats secured and never stacked, and every light.

What tire pressure should I use before a long trip?

Use the pressure on the label inside the driver's side door frame or in your owner's manual. NHTSA states directly, "Do not inflate your tires to the pressure listed on the tire itself." The sidewall number is the maximum. Check cold, after sitting 3 or more hours, and include the spare.

How much tire tread do I need for winter driving?

NHTSA says the tread should be at least 2/32 of an inch or greater on all tires. Check the wear bars molded into the grooves, or use the penny test: a penny inserted with Lincoln's head down, and if you see the top of his head the tread is too shallow.

Can my child wear a winter coat in a car seat?

No. NHTSA warns that heavy coats can interfere with the proper harness fit. Dress children in thin, warm layers, tighten the harness against those layers, and put blankets or the coat over the harness once it is snug.

When can a child ride in the front seat?

NHTSA says children under 13 should ride in the back seat, at least through age 12. A rear-facing car seat should never go in front of an active air bag: a frontal air bag inflates in less than 1/20th of a second, and a child too close can be seriously or fatally injured.

How serious is drowsy driving on long holiday drives?

Serious enough that NHTSA publishes several estimates. It cites a 2016 NHTSA estimate that 2% to 20% of annual traffic deaths are attributable to driver drowsiness, and AAA Foundation research finding drowsiness may have contributed to 21% of fatal crashes. Applied to the 39,508 fatal crashes in 2021, that is more than 8,300 deaths.

None of this takes a weekend. The recall lookup is a minute, the tire check 10 minutes, the car seat check 2, the walk-around 5. You don't have to be extreme to be ready. Start with what you have in the driveway, before the first hard freeze.

You never know, but you can always be ready.

Sources: NHTSA, Vehicle Safety Checklist Before a Road Trip | NHTSA, Winter Weather Driving Tips | NHTSA, Drowsy Driving | NHTSA, Car Seat Recommendations for Children by Age and Size | NHTSA, Air Bags | NHTSA, Keep Kids Safe on the Road | NHTSA, Thanksgiving Travel Advisory (November 2018) | NOAA National Weather Service, Winter Safety Before the Storm