Get your vehicle in order in time for the harsh summer driving season. As you plan for your vacation and all the fun you will have, don’t forget about your car. You count on your car all year, but especially when you pack up your family and head off on a road trip.

Here are some Land Rover Cary driving tips that will help you have a great summer with your family and your car.

Get your car checked before you go

Busy schedules and tight budgets tempt people to take off on a long summer trip without taking any precautions. Schedule a visit with your dealership or trusted mechanic to have them evaluate your car for impending failures. Have them check everything including the battery, air conditioner, air filter, brakes, tires, and the dreaded check engine light. To be on the safe side, make sure you give yourself enough time to leave your car at the mechanic for a few nights while it gets any necessary repairs.

No one likes spending the money, especially before a trip, but it’s better to your car fixed at home than out in the middle of nowhere, halfway to your destination.

Have a roadside assistance plan in place

According to Forbes, summer holidays like the Fourth of July are the busiest of the year for roadside relief crews. Summer brings out the worst in cars. Batteries go bad, hoses burst, tires blow, and windows crack. Plan so you know where and how you can get help in the event that your car breaks down.

Don’t leave children in the car

Common sense dictates that you take children of all ages with you when you leave your car. Even for a few minutes while running into a convenience store, things can go wrong. Every summer, stories pepper the news about parents who left their infants and toddlers in a hot car only to find them dead or seriously ill from the heat. You don’t want that to happen to your family.

Get gas while you can

No one wants to stop when headed for a summer destination, especially if gas prices in the area seem expensive. Don’t take risks over a few cents per gallon or hoping that you have enough gas to get there. Get gas now, because you might not find it when you’re about to run out. Then what?

Check your tire pressure

Check your tire pressure regularly. Under-inflated tires can tax your fuel economy by more than 3 percent. On a long trip, that represents a big price difference. Also, tires with inadequate air pressure wear much faster than they do when properly filled.

Especially at the beginning of summer, you should check for over-inflated tires. Even if your tires were properly inflated during the winter, the heat of summer causes the air inside them to expand, potentially leading to blowouts. Sometimes you must let air out of your tires to keep them up to specification.

Slow down

Hurrying to your favorite summer spots, you might forget that you spend more on gas the faster you drive. The Department of Energy says that for every 5 mph over 60 mph you drive, you lose 8 percent of your gas mileage. That adds up when your car is going 75 or 80 mph. Slow down and save money. You’ll have plenty of time to spend it once you reach your destination.

Use these summer driving tips to stay safe on the road, save money, and have fun this summer.