Gone are the days when the convenience associated with owning a car was all about getting from A to B in one piece and faster than you would traveling on foot. We now look for ways to make the whole car ownership experience more convenient, including care, maintenance, and everyday driving.
However, convenience should never come at the expense of your safety or that of your loved ones or other road users – and thanks to various solutions and helpful tips, it doesn’t need to.
Create a Car Emergency Kit
There’s no way of knowing when things are going to go wrong, so it’s essential that car owners are prepared for all sorts of situations. To most drivers, this means keeping a first aid emergency kit in the car. However, emergency kits don’t need to be limited to a cut finger.
Keeping a car emergency kit offers the convenience of self-reliance. Your emergency kit should contain everything you need to get back on the road (in some situations), so there’s no need to wait for roadside assistance. In addition to jumper cables and basic tools, a good emergency kit should contain reflective triangles, a first aid kit, tire inflators, and a portable power bank. This ensures you’ll never be stranded without a few essential supplies.
Choose Car Insurance with Roadside Assist Cover
Despite your best efforts at maintaining your vehicle, you might still find yourself faced with a breakdown. If your auto emergency kit isn’t enough to help you get back on the road, finding help can be stressful and potentially dangerous. The last thing you want is to be stranded for hours.
Balance safety and convenience by choosing affordable car insurance with roadside assist cover. Depending on the roadside assist package you choose, you could benefit from lockout and towing services, battery jump-start, tire replacement, mechanical repairs, and fuel delivery. Along with being able to call for help when you need it, you can save money by avoiding steep out-of-pocket expenses during an already stressful time.
Buy a Dashcam with Safety Features
Good-quality dash cams with safety features can transform your everyday driving experience. Higher-end models come equipped with a range of safety features designed to help keep you and your vehicle safe. Among these features are collision warnings, driver fatigue alerts, and parking security.
With a premium dash cam in your car, you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with continuous monitoring, whether you’re driving or parked. You also benefit from the convenience of being able to submit easily accessible proof for insurance claims.
Invest in Simple, Effective Car Security
Keeping your smart key and car safe from tampering or thieves doesn’t need to break the bank. Keep your smart key in a signal-blocking Faraday pouch or something similar that prevents keyless car theft, and invest in a GPS tracker.
Even a simple tracker can act as a deterrent to thieves and make it easier for law enforcement to recover your car in the event of theft. Having a tracker installed in your car may also make you eligible for discounted insurance premiums.
Choose Hands-Free Convenience
Voice-activated assistants do more than offer convenience. They also help make everyday driving safer.
By using systems such as Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, or a Bluetooth-enabled car setup for calls, navigation, and texts, you can keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. These technologies let you stay connected without distraction, making every journey smoother and reducing the risk of accidents.
Take Care of Your Engine
Proper engine care is essential for safety and convenience. Ensure your engine is properly tuned, as an out-of-tune engine or one with faulty oxygen sensors or other components will noticeably reduce fuel mileage and efficiency.
It’s also vital that you use the recommended engine oil grade. While using a different grade than the one recommended for your engine isn’t necessarily going to cause major problems, it can reduce your fuel mileage, which means you would need to fill up more frequently, wasting time and money.
Use Your Car’s Driver Assistance Features
If your car has built-in driver assistance features such as adaptive cruise control or blind spot monitoring, use them. They offer the convenience of having a co-pilot or coach helping you stay safe on the road.
These features are usually compatible with various safe driving apps that monitor your driving habits and alert you to potential dangers or inefficiencies, such as speeding, harsh acceleration or braking, and idling. Alerts from these apps can help you cultivate defensive driving habits, resulting in less wear and tear on your car, lower fuel consumption and maintenance costs, and reduced accident risks.
Reduce Weight and Aerodynamic Drag
Unnecessary weight and rooftop cargo can affect your car’s fuel economy, which means you get fewer miles per gallon. Remove unnecessary items from the trunk, especially if you have a smaller car.
In addition, avoid hauling cargo on your car’s roof unless absolutely necessary. Even an empty cargo box on the roof creates enough aerodynamic drag to affect your car’s fuel economy, so don’t be tempted to keep one on the roof for the sake of convenience. If possible, use a rear-mount cargo box or tray when you need to haul items, as this produces significantly less drag and offers better fuel economy than rooftop cargo boxes.
Ensure Wheels are Aligned and Balanced
Wheels that aren’t aligned or balanced properly wear out unevenly and have poor handling. Have your wheels professionally aligned and balanced regularly, as this supports fuel efficiency, increases the lifespan of your tires, and offers a more comfortable ride.
Keeping your wheels balanced and aligned is a simple and affordable way to avoid relatively frequent tire replacements and to improve your safety on the road.
Conveniently Safe Driving Every Day
Ensuring you can drive safely every day doesn’t need to come with frustration, inconvenience, or high costs, even if you may occasionally need to spend a little more on initial purchases.
Instead, it begins with understanding how common habits affect your car’s performance or put you at risk of accidents, breakdowns, or not being able to find help when you need it. By making a few simple changes, you can start every journey with confidence.
