3 Child-Friendly New Car Features to Help You Survive a Road Trip
There are a number of times during the year when you can save a few dollars while buying a new car. Towards the end of the month or at the end of each calendar quarter is stated to be lucrative buying opportunities as sales representatives strive to meet their targets. With the end of the year rapidly approaching, now is the perfect time to upgrade to a new family vehicle before the Christmas holidays arrive. Having a new, reliable car makes holiday road trips a lot more enjoyable. Look for these child-friendly features in a new car to make your road trips happy ones.
Built-in GPS
As of 2007, there were more mobile phones in Australia than there are people. Smartphones can have Google Maps downloaded to help you navigate your way around unfamiliar places while on a road trip. However, mobile phones are also a distraction while you are driving. It is easy to lose concentration when looking at a map but getting distracted by a notification of a social media app.
A safer option for driving is to purchase a car which has an inbuilt GPS system in the dash. This feature sits at a height where you can glance at it without having to drop your eyes from the road for long. The additional benefit of purchasing a car with a GPS system is the ability to quickly find the closest toilet when your children suddenly announce they need to go.
Built-in Video Entertainment
Portable DVD players are a great distraction for the kids in the back seat while driving for hours at a time, but they are not always easily mountable to seats. The combination of velcro straps and a moving vehicle can cause the monitors to come loose at the most inopportune time. Pulling over to readjust a DVD monitor gets old quickly.
When considering an inbuilt video entertainment system for your kids, consider which of these options appeal to you most:
- Monitors built into the front seat headrests versus a monitor that pulls down from the ceiling. While this choice is personal preference, systems that have the screens in the headrest also often offer the option for a different movie to be played on each display. A handy tool for squabbling siblings.
- When you choose the headrest monitor option, the size of the headrest limits the size of the screen. A flip down monitor, however, can be several degrees bigger as there isn't such a restriction. This size difference may impact your decision.
- The ability to isolate the movie volume to the rear of the car is important. When you are driving long-distance, back seat distractions are a safety hazard. Choose an entertainment system where you can target the sound towards those in the rear only.
Rear Area USB Charging Port
These days, children love to turn to their electronic devices to stave off the boredom while on a road trip. However, lots of grumbling occurs when the device's battery runs flat. Many new cars have a USB charging port located at the rear of the centre console. Head to your local electronics store to purchase a USB charger that plugs into this port and then connects to your child's device. It will solve a lot of grumpiness.
Do you still have questions about these or other kid-friendly additions? You can talk to auto dealers such as Rebel Ford about these options and how much they cost. Before deciding on the perfect family vehicle, ensure you take the car on a text drive with the car seats strapped in to ensure everyone is comfortable during the holiday drive.
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