Cornwall summer road trips: the T.R.I.P. checks to do first

The boot is packed, the kids are strapped in and the sat nav is pointed somewhere with a beach at the end of it. Before you roll off the drive for the long summer run, there is a four-letter checklist that takes a couple of minutes and can save you a very bad afternoon on the hard shoulder.

Vision Zero South West, the road safety partnership covering Devon and Cornwall, is asking every driver heading out this summer to remember one word: T.R.I.P. It stands for Top up, Rest, Inspect and Prepare, and it is built to be easy to run through before you set off.

Why the checks matter in a Cornwall summer

Summer is when Cornwall’s main routes fill up. The A30 and A38 carry a steady stream of holiday traffic from June through to September, and a breakdown or a tyre blowout on a hot, busy road turns a fun day into a long wait for recovery. The checks are the campaign’s answer to that, quick jobs at home that head off the most common roadside problems before they happen.

The T.R.I.P. message comes from National Highways and its THINK! road safety brand, and Vision Zero South West is sharing it locally. National Highways looks after more than 4,500 miles of England’s motorways and major A-roads, and says the aim of the checks is simple, to help drivers avoid breakdowns, save time and money, and keep everyone safer on the roads.

T is for Top up

Before you go, top up your fuel or battery charge, your engine oil and your screen wash. Long trips and warm weather are hard on all three. Low oil can damage an engine, an empty washer bottle leaves you smearing a dirty windscreen into low sun, and running the tank or the battery too close to empty on an unfamiliar route is a risk you do not need. Fill everything at home rather than gambling on where the next services are.

R is for Rest

Plan your stops. Vision Zero South West recommends a proper break every two hours, at least 15 minutes each time, to stay sharp behind the wheel. Tiredness creeps up quietly, and it is at its worst on a long, warm, monotonous drive after an early start. Swapping drivers, a coffee and a short walk all help. If you feel your eyes going, stop.

I is for Inspect

Check your tyres before you set out. Look at the pressure and the tread on all four, and the spare if you carry one, because an under-inflated or worn tyre is far more likely to fail on a hot road under a fully loaded car. While you are down there, National Highways suggests making sure your lights are clean and working too. Two minutes with a pressure gauge is a lot cheaper than a blowout at 70.

P is for Prepare

Prepare for whatever the day throws at you. A Cornish summer can serve up brilliant sunshine, sudden rain and low, blinding sun in the space of a single drive, so pack for all of it. Sunglasses for the glare, some water, phone chargers and something to keep the kids busy all earn their place in the car. Knowing your route and roughly where you will stop takes the pressure off if the weather or the traffic turns.

Behind the campaign

National Highways frames the checks as a safety habit rather than a chore. “With safety our number one priority at National Highways, we aim to at least halve the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads by the end of 2025, with a longer-term goal of achieving a zero-harm network,” the organisation says.

Vision Zero South West is the partnership working to cut road deaths and serious injuries across Devon and Cornwall to zero by 2040, with a target of halving them by 2030. Its board brings together senior police and fire officers, clinicians, councillors and the Police and Crime Commissioner. Its message this summer is a plain one, that the small stuff done on the drive before you leave is what keeps the big stuff from happening on the road.