This summer, many families will plan vacations. While some will buy their plane tickets and head off to the coast or to other countries, others will opt to stay a little closer to home (and on the ground). The family driving vacation is a time-honored tradition and many still undertake these trips on a regular basis. Whether you are planning to drive a few hours to Kansas City or make an extended road trip that will put you on the road for a few days, it’s important to keep the safety and comfort of your family as the top priority. To some travelers, this may mean something as simple as a cleaning out of the family van and an oil change. To others, it could be the motivation they need to upgrade their current vehicle. If you are planning a road trip this summer, here is some advice from local experts!
Insurance Needs
“Before you go on a road trip this summer, you should make sure you have the appropriate roadside coverage,” states Nikki Watts with Watts Insurance Group. “We have companies that have a minimal charge for superior coverage such as 100 towing, trip interruption, pre-trip planning and turn-by-turn navigation. Also, make sure your current insurance would cover you if you rent a car for your trip. The best way to check on this information is to ask your local agent.”
“There is a lot to think about when planning a vacation, so having the right agent who understands your vehicle’s safety, age and coverage is very important,” explains Jamie Smith, an American Family agent. “An agent can tell you if there are gaps in medical care coverage to think about after a claim involving personal injury and how being out of the current state may make it hard to fight an uninsured or underinsured driver. Not all states require the same levels of coverage.”
She recommends considering the following:
-What are your deductibles? Can you lower them for a small cost?
-If you use your deductible to cover a loss does your policy cover a rental car and up to how much per day?
-If you have comprehensive coverage, does that cover windshield rock chip repairs for free or when would the deductible apply?
-What are your limits for bodily injury to others, per person and per accident? A good rule of thumb is you should get what you give in terms of your uninsured and underinsured. For example: I carry $250,000 (per person)/$500,000 (per accident) for Bodily Injury to others and I match my uninsured/underinsured at $250,000 per person/$500,000 per accident.
-Property damage limits to others normally match the bodily injury amount per person. In this example $250,000.
-Ask about Medical Payments and how much coverage the company offers. Get as much as you can afford, keeping in mind your health insurance situation. This coverage can save you from immediate out of pocket expenses. Note: Bodily injury protection pays out after you have completed treatment. That can take years in some cases! Medical Payment protection pays out immediately, regardless of fault, there is no deductible, and if the claim is not your fault, companies like American Family won’t raise your rates if you use it.
-If you have a loan on your car ask about adding loan gap coverage. This pays the difference from the depreciated value of the vehicle to the actual amount owed on the loan.
She also recommends the following should be carried in the car during your vacation: an emergency kit with a flashlight, new batters, an old or extra (charged) cell phone (to call 911), medical care items and a disposable camera or smart phone to take pictures after any accidents of the scene, damages, tire marks, license plate numbers, etc. You should also have a map or GPS of the area you are traveling to, weather reports of expected conditions and your current insurance card.
Service of Current Vehicle
“Before you go on vacation, make sure you take whichever vehicle you will be driving to a mechanic, have it inspected,” says Tim Richter with Miracle Mile Motors. “Make sure the tires are good with proper air pressure, have the belts and hoses checked, make sure the AC is working, have a fresh oil change and top off all the fluids.”
Bob Jergensen with Walker Tire adds, “Alignment is very important in your vehicle as it relates to the wear of the tires and mileage. You should definitely have your alignment checked before taking your vehicle on a road trip. Get a good inspection of your tires as well. If you’re going on a long trip, long hours of high temperatures can cause separation of the curve if you have marginal tires, which is dangerous. If the tread depth is too low, this can also increase the possibility of hydroplaning. With the vehicle packed with your family and luggage, you need to make sure your tires are the absolute safest possible.”
The most important thing is to have a service professional you can trust and who you can take your vehicle to and know you are getting the very best service possible. Whether you are taking your vehicle in because it is having problems, for routine maintenance or to get it checked out before going on vacation, trusting the service professional is the best way to achieve peace of mind before hitting the road.
Your service professional should always listen to your needs and concerns and never disregard what you say because you are ‘not an expert’. After all, you are the one who drives the vehicles on a daily basis and will be the one who continues to drive it after the service is provided. Although your service provider may have different ideas on what needs to be done, they should always listen to you with respect and take what you say into consideration.
Purchase of New Vehicle
Sometimes there’s no way around it: your current vehicle is just not going to cut it on an extended road trip. Maybe it’s not in the greatest condition and you’re afraid it will break down on the road or maybe you just don’t want to fit your family of four into your two-door sports car for an eight hour drive. Whatever the reason, finding the right vehicle for your needs and buying it from the right place is very important. Tim Richter with Miracle Mile Motors offers the following tips:
–Buy from a trusted dealer. If you buy from a trusted dealer, you won’t have to worry that the vehicle you get will have any undisclosed problems or damage and that the salesperson will try his or her best to find you the vehicle that fits your needs.
–Have it checked out by a mechanic. A reputable dealer won’t mind if you take the vehicle you may potentially purchase to be checked out by your own mechanic. It’s always better to know about potential problems before you purchase (or decide not to purchase at all).
–Make sure it fits your budget and fits in the garage. It can be tempting to go for the biggest, nicest SUV you see on the lot, but what happens when you can’t pull it into the garage when it hails and you find the payments are too much to handle?
“Everyone’s needs are different when it comes to the vehicle that is best for their trip,” explains Tim. “Will it be a large family or just a couple? Is gas mileage important to you or would you sacrifice a few miles to the gallon to have a roomier, comfier ride for the family? Mini-vans, Suburbans and any luxury car that rides nice are always good road-tripping options.
With our busy lives, it can sometimes seem like an overwhelming task to find time to go select a new vehicle. Fortunately, technology has made this process much easier. “Selling new and used cars online is a large part of our business at Honda of Lincoln,” states Ron McClain. “We offer many tools to help our customers make the right decision on a car that best suits their needs. Some of the options our website offers are live chat, actual vehicle photos on new and used inventory, a virtual new Honda inventory tool to help you build and price your own Honda, scheduling service online, personal ‘my garage’ page for you to track, search and set notifications on new arriving inventory and online negotiation. The online negotiation tool allows our customers to browse our inventory and start the negotiation process from the comfort of their own home or office.
Once you find the car you are interested in, just click the “Negotiate Online” button and a new screen will appear and take you through the steps necessary to negotiate the sale of this car. Once we receive your information, we put a proposal together with sale pricing, estimated trade allowance and finance or lease payments if necessary.
Once you receive the proposal you are able to accept, counter the proposal or ask questions. If you decide to switch vehicles, you have that option too.
Once the proposal is in agreement, we will set up a time for you to come into the store to do paperwork and pick up your new car. If that is not an option then we can arrange to deliver your new car to you. We have over 10,000 visits a month to our website with our Internet Sales accounting for over 35% of our monthly new and used cars sales.”
If Something Unexpected Happens on the Road
Although no one wants to think an accident will happen to them on the road, it is a possibility that an accident can occur. Hopefully, the accident is not one that affects your family (or your vacation), but only bangs up the vehicle a bit. It’s important to have a good relationship with a body shop who you trust so you can have your car repaired soon after returning from your vacation. If your car is not in driveable condition after the accident, a body shop can also help by providing a tow truck or finding one for you in whatever area you might be stranded in.
Even if you don’t have the time or budget to take an elaborate vacation this summer, you can still fit a driving vacation into your schedule and budget! Remember to keep safety first and make sure your vehicle is prepared to take the family wherever is that they want to go. Happy driving!