Have a safe, easy holiday season

Before leaving home

1. Is your home contents insurance policy up to date, with all recently purchased items and their values being updated onto the policy?
   
2. Is your home comprehensively covered for power surges, burst geysers, floods, fires and theft?
   
3. If you are taking your iPad, camera or bicycles with you on holiday, have you specified the risk with your insurer to make sure you are covered?
   
4. Have you checked that your alarm is in working order and your armed services are responsive?
   
5. Have you unplugged all unused appliances, removed keys out of locked doors, closed all curtains or blinds and locked all valuables and spare keys in the safe?
   
6. Is your fridge as empty as it could be? In the case of a power failure, you do not want to come back home to spoiled food.
   
7. If you can, ask a family member or friend to keep an eye out or go past the house occasionally.
   

Road trip checklist

Here is a handy checklist to ensure the safety of your car:

1. Tyres: make sure your tyres are safe and legal by ensuring the tread depth is more than 1mm across the entire surface of the tyre and there are no existing cuts or other damage.
   
2. Brakes: check your brake pads and discs for safe stopping power.
   
3. Windscreen: fix reparable chips before they spread.
   
4. Windscreen wipers: replace worn out wipers in case there is a drop or two of rain.
   
5. Lights: make sure all lights, especially your brake lights, are working.
   
6. Battery: replace old batteries before you are stranded in the middle of nowhere.
   
7. Spare wheel: out of sight should not be out of mind. Check the tread and tyre pressure.
   
8. Check your shock absorbers for a smooth ride.
   
9. Ensure you have a breakdown triangle and other emergency gear in your boot.
   
10. Finally, check your water, oil and tyre pressure before leaving for holiday.