Ahead of their RSA Check It Fits event, Kellys Toyota share an essential checklist to follow to keep your family safe in the car.

As adults and parents safety is always a priority, we take necessary action and child proof our homes to avoid accidents but sometimes safety when travelling in our vehicles is overlooked.

Here are our top tips to keep you and yours safe on the roads and visit us next Thursday 24th August and where we will have experts from the RSA on site to ensure your car seat is fitted properly.

Visit the Letterkenny branch on the Port Road on Thursday 24th August from 10am -5.30pm to meet the RSA Check It Fits experts.

Toyota Verso

Maintenance

Make sure your vehicle is well maintained, and has a valid NCT, most vehicles require a service once a year or every 15,000kms.

Keep your windscreen clean and free of cracks, if a crack appears contact your insurance company to check if it’s covered under your policy.

Tyres play a key role in vehicle safety, your tyres should be the right kind and size for your vehicle, have the correct pressure, be free from defects and have at least 1.6mm tread depth, if in any doubt get them checked by a professional!

Distraction

Travelling with children can be stressful, but it’s important not to let them distract you while driving, if going on a long journey bring plenty of snacks for them, a portable DVD Player or tablet for them to watch and stop at regular intervals to let them stretch their legs.

No doubt the biggest distraction are mobile phones, if your vehicle isn’t fitted with a hands free device then purchase one or pull over to a safe place when using your phone.

Toyota have recently launched an app in partnership with the RSA and Topaz called Face It Down, it can be downloaded free of charge and rewards you with free tea & coffee from Topaz when you face your phone down and don’t use it when driving. Sounds good to us.

Research

If you are thinking of buying a new or used vehicle make sure to check the safety features and technology available, many of our new models now include lane depart assist, reversing cameras and pre –collision systems as standard.

The best way to check the safety performance of a car is the Euro NCAP rating which provides an independent safety rating of the most popular cars in Europe by rating their safety in crash testing.

Safety Kit

It is a good idea to keep a safety kit in the boot of your car at all times in case of an emergency, here are some things that you may find useful to have in it:

  • Hi Vis Vest & Reflective Triangle so other motorists can see you
  • Torch & First Aid Kit
  • Phone Charger
  • Map (Sat Navs can be unreliable and if in remote area Google Maps not might work)
  • Check you have spare wheel/ tyre safety kit and a working jack in case you need to change a tyre.
  • In winter keep snow scrapper, de-icer and blanket.

Car Seat

How important is it that your precious bundles of joy are safe, it’s a scary fact that 4 out of 5 car seats in Ireland are fitted incorrectly!

Toyota have partnered with the RSA to try and change that!

The RSA Check It Fits will be coming to Kelly’s Toyota Letterkenny on the 24th of August.

The RSA experts will check that the car seat is fitted correctly and that it is the correct type for your child’s height and weight.
It’s quick, easy, free and available to all vehicles.

For queries and updates visit the Kellys Toyota website, Facebook or Twitter accounts or indeed pop into the local branches in Letterkenny and Mountcharles and we can help you with anything you might need.