Taking your family and friends on a road trip is a fantastic way to have a fun vacation and experience a lot of bonding opportunities, provided that your vehicle is up to the challenge of a long trip. By making sure that your damaged windshield and worn-down tires are replaced, you can make your vehicle quite a bit safer and more reliable for your road trip.

Damaged Windshield

One of the first repairs that you should have a mechanic perform before you start your trip is replacing a damaged windshield. It is very important that you replace a damaged windshield because any cracks in the glass can obstruct your vision.

If your vision is obstructed, the odds of you not noticing a hazard in the road, pedestrian, or braking vehicle will go up. In addition, a cracked windshield is going to impact your chances of survival in the event of an accident.

A cracked windshield is more likely to shatter than an intact windshield if you end up getting into an accident. This can result in razor-sharp shards of glass flying into the cabin of your vehicle and severely injuring you or your passengers. 

Your windshield is also designed to stop someone from being ejected from the vehicle if his or her seat belt fails during an accident. With a cracked windshield, there is a chance that the windshield will not be strong enough to stop you from being ejected from the car, which greatly increases the chances of severe injury or death.

Worn-Down Tires

Another repair that you need to consider is having any worn-down tires replaced. Tires that have worn down are not only going to make your vehicle's handling degrade, but they can be very dangerous to drive on. When your tires only have 1/16th of an inch of tread left, there is a risk that the tire will develop a leak or blowout.

In addition, worn-down tires are especially dangerous if you are driving on wet or snowy roads. This is because worn-down tires will not be able to grip the road very well, which can cause you to easily lose control of the vehicle and slide off the road or into another vehicle.

Finally, worn-down tires are also going to cause you to have to spend more money on fuel throughout your trip. Since worn tires are going to be unable to grip the road very well, they will need to spin much more in order to allow your vehicle to move. This increased spinning causes your engine to have to work harder, which results in lower fuel economy.

Speak to your local mechanic today in order to discuss which repairs he or she recommends before you go on your road trip. Replacing worn-down tires and a damaged windshield are two of the easiest ways to make your vehicle safer to drive. For more information, contact a professional like Malibu Motors Service.

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