The holiday season is usually one filled with lots of friends, family and celebration but this is also a time for new drivers to be aware of possible dangers on the road. Even the most experienced drivers can run into safety issues while traveling during the holidays and it is important for all drivers to take extra precautions while driving during the holiday season.

5 Holiday Safety Tips for New Drivers

Be Prepared

One of the simplest tasks for a new driver to tackle during the holidays is to make sure your vehicle is running properly. This means checking all fluid levels, tire pressure, lights and windshield wipers before taking a trip during the holidays. This is a great opportunity to have your battery checked for any possible issues as well.

Map Your Route

There isn't much that can be more frustrating for a driver than not knowing the best path to take in order to reach their desired destination. The only thing that can make a situation like that worse is to add holiday traffic and dangerous road conditions to the mix.

To keep your cool as a new driver on your way to a holiday gathering this year be sure to have your route planned out well ahead of your trip. Adding a few alternate routes, in case of icy road conditions or lots of traffic is a good way to keep stress levels down as well.

Don't Skip on Beauty Rest

It may not seem like the most important thing to take care of before a holiday road trip but getting plenty of rest the night before your trip can help keep everyone a lot safer on the road. In fact, driving while overly tired is a common cause for auto accidents.

As a new driver you can avoid this mistake by taking frequent breaks in safe areas during longer road trips. A good rule of thumb to follow when taking driving breaks is to stop and stretch every 2 hours or 100 miles.

Beef-Up Your Emergency Kit

Aside from adding extra blankets to your roadside emergency kit there are a few other necessities that you should consider. A working cell phone should be kept on hand in your vehicle at all times. Old cell phones without a service plan are capable of dialing 9-1-1 as long as they have a battery charge. Cat litter and sand are also handy during the cold winter months to help add traction on the road if you are stuck on an icy road.

Drive Defensively

Because of increased traffic and winter road conditions it is easy to become frustrated on your trip. Chances are that due to congestion and icy conditions you'll be left to travel below the posted speed limit in certain areas.Try your best not to loose your cool on the road and remember to drive defensively.

Keep yourself and the others in your vehicle safe by not responding to other drivers on the road who may be driving aggressively. Let aggressive drivers pass you by and put the safety of those in your vehicle first when driving during the holiday season.

Sources:

http://exchange.aaa.com/automobiles-travel/automobiles/holiday-road-trip-travel-tips/; http://www.21st.com/insurance-newsletters/2012/11/holiday-driving-tips.htm; http://www.cdc.gov/features/roadsafety/