Summer is a great time for all sorts of fun activities like drag racing, road trips, or even watching a drive-in movie with that special someone. While summer is not quite as complicated as the winter there still are a few things to keep in mind if you’re planning on spending a lot of time driving during the summer. Every year thousands of people go on road trips in the summer; people drive for hours and sometimes days just to visit the beach or attend their favorite band’s concert. If you are planning on doing any extended driving during the summer such as an interstate road trip then there are a few summer car safety tips that can help you along the way. One of the most important things summer car safety tips is to check your vehicle's tires regularly. Countless breakdowns and accidents are cause by poor tire care and maintenance. Waiting for a tow truck in the hot summer heat can be brutal, but making sure that your vehicle's tires are properly mounted, inflated, and have sufficient tread can prevent blowouts and flat tires.Exercising good wheel safety can save you time and money - two things which are in short supply these days. And if your tires are holding up anymore it's usually worth it to purchase new tires rather than try to push old worn tires to their limit especially during the summer. On any road trip it is always important to pack  emergency food and water supplies for everyone in the vehicle. It’s important to have food and water standing by in case your car breaks down, especially if you are traveling through any particularly hot areas such as the deserts of California or Arizona. Though, water is the more vital than food in survival scenarios since the human body can survive longer without food than it can water. Temperatures In the deserts of California and Arizona can exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade; surviving such high temperatures for long is no easy feat, but with ample water a person’s survival rates in greatly increase. The human body can only survive for roughly 3 days without food and water in over 110 degree weather; however, with just one 1 gallon (4 quarts) of water the average person’s life expectancy is extended to 4 days without food. A person can survive for 5 days in 110 degree heat without food if they only have two and half gallons (10 quarts) of water. If your car breaks down on an interstate road trip the nearest help can be hours away so it’s important to have emergency supplies for everyone. Cars need fluid too, though. Another very important safety tip is to always remember to check your car’s fluid levels during the summer. Since it’s usually warmer outside during the summer and people usually operate their air conditioning systems pretty regularly. The combination of higher temperatures and the constant operation of the vehicle's air conditioner usually leads to vehicles to overheating more often during the summer. In many cases, an overheating engine is caused by a lack of fluids such as engine coolant. Making sure that your vehicle has adequate fluids can help prevent unnecessary overheating. If you're planning on traveling across the country and want skip the heat altogether then it’s best to avoid traveling in late afternoon around 3 to 4 pm, which are actually the hottest times of the day during the summer. On a lighter note, one essential accessory that no one should be without in the summer months is a windshield sun shade. Heat waves have been hitting places all over the United States this summer and last thing that you want is to feel like you just jumped into an oven when you sit inside your car. Sun shades are used to block or reduce the sunlight that enters through a car’s windshield when the vehicle is parked; sun shades typically just cover the interior area of the windshield but some verities will even cover the front driver and passenger windows as well.  By shielding your car from some of that summer sunlight you make sure your car is a few degrees cooler. If you don’t have a sun shade then parking under some shade such as a tree of covered parking will have the same effect. Owning a sunshade is pretty much essential if you have leather interior too, that is unless you enjoy sitting on a seat as hot as a pizza oven. Following these summer car safety tips can be all the difference between a miserable summer and a cool summer. Photo by: Hugh Lunnon Via: Survival Topics