Driving Home For Christmas: A Festive Checklist

Christmas is a glorious time of year for most people. Spending time with family and friends, exchanging gifts and enjoying that much anticipated Christmas dinner.

Whilst Christmas may be a time of celebration and togetherness, for some it does mean travelling.

Now, whether you love or hate driving during the festive period, make sure you are organised. Anything to make the long journey that little bit easier.

There are many factors to considering when driving home for Christmas, so why don’t we run through some of them today.

1. Bring Vehicle Essentials

In the case of general preparation or even an emergency, have to hand the following tools:

• Spare tyre and jack – in case you need to change your tyre
• Jumper cables – in case you need to jump start your car
• Ice scraper and snow brush – if traveling in icy/snowy conditions
• Flashlight with extra batteries – in case of vehicle emergency whilst driving home at night

2.   Plan Your Trips

It goes without saying that you should plan/time your trips accordingly.

During the winter, planning you trips can be crucial – this includes understanding what weather conditions you will be driving in, whether that’s a snowstorm or if the roads are likely to freeze over.

If you are driving over to visit family or friends over the festive period, make sure you know the route to where you are travelling before setting out. Platforms such as ViaMichelin and Google Maps are great tools to use for   planning your journey.

Another factor in planning your trip, particularly for driving home, is to make sure you are not still over the limit if you have been drinking alcohol the night before.

The legal alcohol limit in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

In Scotland, the limit is 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, or 22 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

If you are planning on drinking alcohol and going home on the same night, do not drive – book a taxi in advance or just stay at your family/friends’ house. Better to be safe than sorry as they say!

3. Check Your Car Tyres and Engine Oil

Before leaving, do a routine tyre check to see if you need to change your tyre or not.

The recommended way to check your tyre pressure as quick as possible is placing a 20p coin in between the grooves of your tyre.

If you cannot see the outer band of the coin, your tyres’ tread depth should be above the legal 1.6mm limit.

If you can see the outer band, your tyres will need changed. They may not have the legally required tread depth.

Make sure to also check your oil levels. This will ensure that your vehicle’s engine is fully lubricated, which improves gas mileage and engine longevity.

Unsure on what oil to buy if you need an oil top up? Read our guide on what oil your car needs.

4. Fit Winter/All-Season Tyres (Optional)

Winter tyres have been specifically developed to perform optimally during winter conditions. They have higher rubber content and wider tyre grooves to help the tyre’s flexibility and traction respectively. When temperatures drop below 7°C, winter tyres are a very good option to have fitted on your vehicle.

All-season tyres are also a safe alternative, particularly if you plan on having the same tyres fitted all year long. Whilst not having the same levels of performance as summer tyres in dry conditions, or winter tyres in cooler conditions, all-season tyres offer optimal levels of performance throughout all types of weathers and road surfaces.

Interested in having season specific tyres? Enter your car registration and take a look at what tyres best suit your vehicle.

5. Keep Children Both Safe and Entertained

Make sure any children travelling with you are safe and have forms of entertainment in the car.

We are all aware of the increased risks of driving in winter conditions, so make sure to have the following steps in place to keep your child safe whilst driving:

• Proper car maintenance (tyre check, car battery, headlights)
• The appropriate car seat for the child’s height and weight
• Keep your children wrapped up and warm
• Take brakes when driving long distance to avoid fatigue

Whilst safety is number one priority, entertaining kids is always going to make you and the child’s journey that little bit easier.

Some children find any sort of travel very tedious for them, especially long distances.

Here are some ideas on how to keep your child entertained whilst driving:

• Games – gaming consoles, ‘I spy’, and many more
• Music – from Chris Rae to Elton John, there are loads of Christmas songs chose from for this time of year
• Drinks and snacks
• Comfort items – blankets, pillows, etc.
• Storytelling

6. Safe Driving

It doesn’t matter if you have children or not with you on your journeys, you should always practice safe driving, particularly during dangerous weather conditions.

You should do the following to make sure your safe whilst driving in winter conditions:

• Drive slowly - adapting your style to the conditions.
• Increase distance between you and other cars
• No unnecessary sudden stops or sharp turns
• Use appropriate headlights

Dealing with skids:

Front-Wheel Drive

Approach bends cautiously, braking gently and treating them as tighter than they appear to maintain tyre grip. Reduce RPM when exiting the corner to improve traction.

Rear-Wheel Drive

If the rear skids, gently balance the accelerator and brake. Keep your focus and steering aligned with the direction you want to go.

7. Presents

Last but not least, the presents!

Christmas is a time of giving (and receiving) gifts from all loved ones – make sure you don’t leave any behind. You don't want to be the one who forgot the presents!

Safely pack your presents in the boot of your car. If everybody in the car has been spoiled and there is no room for all presents in your boot, you can always put them in the back of your car, as long as you can clearly see your rear window.