Before you set off on any journey, especially a long one, you need to ensure that your car is road worthy, not only legal but also very safe.

Often before packing the car for a family holiday or business trip, we spend a lot of time deciding what clothes, accessories and entertainment items you need to take with you, but neglect to consider if your car is ready and up to the journey.

Always take the time to do some basic checks before you do any journey. Checking things like tyres, brakes and lights are all working and have plenty of wear left in them at least a week in advance of the trip to allow you time to get anything done that may be required. If you need new brake pads for example, you may have to wait a couple of days to get your car booked in to a garage. A day or two before the travel, check tyre pressures, oil levels, washers and lights again. You should also ensure that you have adequate breakdown cover that will not only recover you to a local garage but take you back home or to any UK destination (if required). By not doing these simple checks you run the risk of ruining your holiday or being very late for your business trip!