Road trip safety tips including avoiding robbery
Last month (September 2021), I learned the hard way that not everyone remains safe while on a road trip.
Storytime!
My parents were driving over half of Europe to visit us. For the night, instead of sleeping in a hotel, they decided to sleep in their van in a truck parking lot in Poland. They’ve done it loads of times over the last five years.
And in the middle of the night, they got robbed – the car windows were smashed, and most of their valuables got stolen.
So, they were in the middle of nowhere Poland with no cards, no IDs, and almost no money. Plus, speaking only a bit of Russian which is not so popular in Poland – mostly English is used as a foreign language there.
Luckily, they had their phones, which helped us communicate everything that needed to be done, and they were not physically harmed, but it was an incredibly scary and stressful thing to go through.
Plus, my saint of a brother and his friends drove 900km one way to bring them money and passports.
It can happen to anyone at any time, of course, but there are some road trip safety tips that you should follow to help keep yourself safe – among other things, to avoid getting robbed and help you just in case you do (tfu-tfu).
You might think – oh well, I’ve travelled a lot by car, I know how to keep safe. Haven’t had any problems ever.
Well, yeah. My parents felt the same way.
But you know how it is – the more times everything goes well, the more reckless we get.
If you’re an experienced road-tripper, some of these tips will seem completely obvious to you, but you know, better safe than sorry. Right?
Road trip safety tips – check your car before a long drive
- Window vipers and fluid
- Oil
- Brakes
- Engine
- Spare tyre
- First aid kit
- Jumper cables
- And so on
The best option is basically to take your car to a service or a mechanic and ask him to check if the car is safe for a long drive. Obviously, if the car has been checked recently, I wouldn’t take it, but if the check happened a long time ago… well, better safe than sorry.
You wouldn’t want to be in the middle of nowhere with a broken car, right? Plus, it’s not easy to find a car service that you can trust and that wouldn’t break the bank somewhere where you don’t know anyone.
One of the first things to do is – check that you have a spare tyre or the foam that fixes a broken tyre. Make sure you have all the wrenches and everything as well, because what will you do if you have a tyre but no way to change it?
Next, the oil levels and the oil change date need to be checked as well – it’s not really a good idea to drive long distances if the car needs an oil change. We usually take 500ml of oil with us as well just in case – if the oil needs to be topped up, it’s easy to do.
I honestly have no idea how to check if the brakes work properly, so I do that in a service centre. They can check the whole engine as well so that there’s a smaller chance it will break down somewhere.
It’s annoying and very much not safe to have windshield wiper blades that don’t work properly. If the windshield is dirty, your vision through it is impaired. About the liquid – again, we usually take some extra with us so that it can be topped up when needed.
Tip – make sure to have a weather-appropriate windshield wiper liquid. We once had a summer liquid while driving through the Dolomites in Italy – the holes where the liquid flows kept freezing, so we couldn’t clean the windshield. We had to stop regularly to throw snow on the window so we could clean it. Quite an adventure!
And obviously, check the first aid kit, and not just the car one. Check that you have the basic items for safety and that they haven’t expired. Check that there is some medicine for pain and fever with you. Well, basically, check that you have packed all the essential items with you.
Another thing to consider taking with you is jumper cables. If your car’s battery dies, it’s a very useful thing to have – not many local drivers take them with on short-ish drives.
Of course, this is not a full list – depending on where you’re driving and what you’re driving through, it might be a good idea to have blankets, flashlights, non-perishable food items, extra water, and some more things with you.
Road trip robbery safety tips
We might think that it’s quite safe to go on road trips, and it probably is much safer than it used to be (at least in Europe, it was very, very not safe in the ex-Soviet countries after the collapse of the union).
It’s important to keep safe against getting robbed, obviously. But it’s quite important to know what to do if you have been robbed, as well.
We can try to follow as many road trip safety tips as we want, but if luck is not on our side, many things can happen.
Lock the car
Obvious, right?
But lock it not just when you leave the car, but when you wait for someone in it as well.
For example, someone from the car is quickly running into the store to buy something and the other person is staying in the car waiting for them. Well, lock the car doors!
An acquaintance was robbed while they were talking to someone on one side of the car. The thief just opened the door on the other side and took a backpack full of valuables! No one even noticed anything!
It’s even more important to lock the car if you want to sleep in it, which is quite a normal thing to do when driving in summer.
Keep valuables on you, especially your phone
Speaking of sleeping in the car, as I said in the beginning, my parents were lucky that they had their phones on them while they were sleeping.
If they didn’t, they would have no way of contacting anyone.
For that matter – keep your valuables, at least a part of them, on you. Either put them under the pillow or keep them in a small purse.
Better yet, make sure that the thieves can’t see that you have these things on you so that they don’t think of threatening you for them.
And it’s not only the “typical” places (stereotypical really) where you should be careful. Even in countries that you’d normally consider safe, such as Italy, you shouldn’t leave your valuables in the car.
Write down important contact information before the trip
Even if you’ve memorized a bunch of phone numbers, it’s better to write them down somewhere where you can easily find them. In case your phone gets stolen, you might want to contact someone from the family or friends who can help you.
Some examples of what contact information to write down:
- Family member whom you can contact in case of emergency
- Insurance company
- Local police (in Europe that’s 112)
- Bank – to block the credit cards
- Embassy – they might be able to help when noone else can
Don’t leave valuables in the car
And obviously, always have copies of your ID cards and other important documents somewhere on a cloud service or with you in a suitcase. It’s very helpful to have them!
Again, one of the obvious road trip safety tips that we tend to overlook, right?
Well, at least keep them somewhere where they can’t be seen, and I don’t mean seen easily.
Thieves are usually quite smart – they might even be looking at how you’re hiding the bags, you know.
So, besides keeping all the most valuable valuables on you, make sure to hide your stuff with the door closed and no one looking at you.
Don’t keep all of your payment cards and cash in one place
Try to keep them separately, for example, in at least 2 different wallets, which are placed in separate bags.
And keep those bags in separate places in the car. For example, keep one bag with a wallet that holds some cash and cards in the boot of the car so that if someone tries to rob you, they don’t get everything that you have.
It’s incredibly hard if you don’t have any money when you’re stranded somewhere.
That’s the situation my parents were in, but luckily, they had food with them – when travelling long distances, my mom usually takes enough food to last more than a day in their little car fridge. But it’s not so usual to do it – imagine if you’re without money, you can’t get food as well. It’s just crazy scary to think about.
Have some money hidden in the car
Besides keeping your money in separate places so there’s less of a chance that all of it will be stolen, make sure to hide some cash – banknotes, not coins – in the car itself.
You can make a hidden compartment for it, or maybe hide it under the seat cushions, or in the glove compartment, or maybe even somewhere else.
In case all of the cash that you have in your wallet does get stolen, you still have some money for food, fuel or even a hotel.
Park under cameras when possible
As proven by my parents, it doesn’t really help if you park under lanterns and close to other cars.
The light was broken by the thieves (my dad was half awake and noticed it going out) and the other drivers that were sleeping in the parking lot didn’t come to help when my mom was screaming her head off.
So, to protect yourself, try to park somewhere where you are visible in cameras. The robbers might be scared off by them or consider it too difficult to break the cameras as well.
What to do if you have been robbed?
Well, first – don’t panic (easy to say, right?)! And don’t try to stop the people – if you’re in shock and they have prepared before, the situation might worsen a lot.
The first thing you should do is call the police. There are usually at least some people who work for emergency services, like 112, that speak a foreign language. Even if they don’t, with Google translate and things you might get each other understood. But you must let the police know.
Second, call and block the credit cards if they were stolen.
Then, contact the insurance company if you’ve taken out insurance before the trip.
Afterwards, you pretty much have to do what the police tell you to.
If you’re without documents, it might be best that you try to get home. In my parents’ case, as I said, my brother brought them their passports so they continued the journey, but if you don’t have an ID, you can either turn back home or contact your embassy for advice on how to proceed.
Don’t forget basic road safety when driving
You’re having fun, you’re excited about the places you’ll see, you’re becoming a bit distracted while driving, and bam! An accident.
As much fun as road trips can be, it’s important to not forget some of the basic road safety tips.
Always wear a seatbelt
Not just the driver should always wear a seatbelt, but the passengers as well. Seatbelts are some of the best things to protect you against injury in car accidents.
During road trips, you might feel more lax and feel like enforcing the seat belts is just not worth it. Plus, you probably need to reach so many things, and the seat belt is just in the way…
But this is one of those road trip safety tips that save lives, and you shouldn’t overlook it.
Children should always use a proper car seat or booster seat
I’ve been there.
The road trip has been going on for the whole day already, everybody is tired, and the destination is alllllmost there, but the child is getting restless and just wants to run around. There’s the temptation to just let them run around in the car for a bit because you know that stopping will mean another half an hour of delay.
But don’t!
Just like a seat belt, the car seat, if used correctly, can save your child’s life in an accident.
Make sure that the car seat is appropriate for your child as well!
Check that they are still within both weight, height, and age limits. Plus, that they haven’t been recalled or expired – yes, even car seats have expiry dates. Infants should use a rear-facing car seat as long as possible because they are safer for the child’s neck.
And make sure that the car seat is installed properly. I know that in some countries it’s possible to go to the fire stations, for example, to check the car seat. But if it’s not possible for you, just check the instructions for installation properly and maybe even watch some YouTube videos to double-check.
Don’t get distracted while driving
I know these are all basic road trip safety tips, but it’s important to remember them.
Don’t use your phone while driving – that means, don’t text, call, or play on it. That includes taking pictures – I’ve seen so many of my friends post pictures where they are by the wheel and driving 100+ km/h, it’s scary. Just, please don’t do that, people.
Another one – don’t set the navigation while you’re on the road. Either do it before starting to drive or let one of the passengers do it for you.
A bit less obvious one is – don’t scan the radio while you’re driving. I know many cars have radio controls on the steering wheel now, which is good, but still make sure to keep your eyes on the road.
And the last of the basic road safety tips – don’t eat while driving and try to not drink as well. It’s better to do these things while you’re stopped. But I know that sometimes you just want to drink or snack, so… just be careful, ok?
Take regular breaks while driving
The longer you drive, the harder it becomes to focus.
It’s advised to take a break at least every 2 hours – to stretch your legs, go to the toilet, drink, eat etc.
The break should be at least 15 minutes.
And don’t just remain sitting in the car on your phone for this period of time – get out in the fresh air so your body can move and your brain – relax.
If possible, share the driving with another person
It’s just logical, but somehow many people seem to overlook this very basic road safety tip.
If there is another driver who is willing and able to share the drive with you, do it!
It’s a good way how to give each other a break from time to time and help both of you not become bored, distracted or drowsy.
Make sure that you have enough fuel to get to the next gas station
And not just “enough”, but more than enough, because you never know what can happen on the way.
So if your car’s fuel level is going below 1/3 of the tank, I’d suggest starting to look for a gas station.
If you’re driving on a highway, you can be kind of sure that there will be gas stations available regularly. The prices will probably be much higher than somewhere off the highway, but at least the stations are there.
But if you’re driving on smaller roads and especially somewhere off the main roads, there might not be gas stations available for hours and for more than 100km.
No, I’m not just pulling a number out of my… head, this is how it actually is in some places in Latvia and even some places in Italy.
Drive according to the weather
I know how it is – you just want to reach the destination as soon as possible to go and explore. But don’t get reckless.
It’s important to remain safe when driving – slow down if it’s raining heavily.
Don’t speed on snowy roads.
Use sunglasses and a sun visor when it’s sunny so you don’t get blinded.
These road trip safety tips sound so obvious, but when you can’t wait to arrive at the new place already, you may overlook some of them.
Use the bathroom when you can
If you need to stop, it’s a good idea to use the restroom. In many countries, restrooms are few and far apart, and you never know when the next will be!
And it’s especially true if you are not on a highway! Local roads are beautiful and nice, but you might not find a gas station for many hours. It’s not such a problem in the warm weather, but having to hide behind a tree in freezing temperatures… yikes!
Tips for a long road trip
If your road trip is going to be quite long, remember these short tips:
- Pack a portable battery or a car charger for your cell phone
- Make sure to have enough water with you to last more than one day
- Stock up on non-perishable snacks
- Put snacks and drinks in easy-to-reach places in the car
- Have entertainment for kids with you
- Make a playlist of your favourite songs
- Prepare some road games for some fun on the road
- Take regular breaks, especially when you have driven for a few days before already
Easy enough, right?
Get insurance before the trip
It’s not as expensive as you think, and it can help in case something goes wrong. It’s too late to get it once the incident or accident has happened.
In case something goes wrong, it’s a good idea to have insurance so that you don’t have more expenses on top of everything.
Many insurances cover things like car accidents where you are to blame, document renewal in case they are lost or stolen, medical expenses including a dentist, trip cancellation costs etc.
Make sure to have luggage insurance in case you’re flying, not just driving, just in case your luggage gets damaged or lost. Some insurances have cash protection in case of robbery as well.
Just this month when we were on a road trip in Italy, an incredible amount of snow fell in less than 24h. All the roads between Italy and Austria were closed and no one could get in or out as it wasn’t safe!
We booked a hotel in the Dolomites (we were lucky to get a room, actually), and the insurance completely paid for it – and our extra dinner!
Last words about road trip safety tips
Most of these things seem obvious, right?
We follow so many of these road trip safety tips during our day to day lives as well.
Well, going on road trips doesn’t really differ so much from other types of vacation or even our day-to-day lives!
We just have to remember to use our common sense! And remember that just because we’re on vacation doesn’t mean that nothing bad can happen to us.
Have a safe road trip!
