Forbes urges pre-trip vehicle checks

Forbes published a Memorial Day travel advisory on May 21 that urged drivers to inspect their vehicles for winter wear before heading out for summer trips. Christopher Elliott wrote that cars are entering the season with “hidden maintenance problems” after a hard winter, as millions of Americans prepare to travel over the holiday weekend. AAA said on May 11 that 45 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday, May 21, and Monday, May 25, including 39.1 million by car. ### Why did Forbes focus on cars before Memorial Day? Christopher Elliott’s May 21 article framed road-trip preparation as part of a broader summer travel warning. Forbes said the travel system has “less slack in it than at any point in years,” with more volatile fares and hotel prices and with road travelers facing vehicle problems that may not be obvious until a trip begins. (forbes.com) AAA’s forecast gives that warning a larger backdrop. The group said 39.1 million people are expected to drive over Memorial Day weekend, a record for the holiday period, making car readiness a central issue as the summer travel season starts. ### What kind of vehicle problems was the article talking about? Forbes said vehicles are coming off “a hard winter” with deferred repairs and hidden damage. (forbes.com) The article did not present a recall or government alert; it presented a consumer advisory aimed at drivers who may not have addressed wear-and-tear before taking longer summer trips. (newsroom.aaa.com) A separate Forbes road-trip piece by Elliott, published May 16, pointed readers to practical safety checks tied to summer driving risks, including tire failures and insurance gaps. That article described those checks as especially relevant during the “100 deadliest days of driving,” the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day. (forbes.com) ### Where does travel insurance fit into this advice? Forbes said missing travel insurance remains part of the problem for summer travelers. Elliott wrote that travel insurance is one of the tools available to prepare for disruptions, and the May 21 article listed it alongside other ways travelers can protect trips during a season of delays, shortages and cancellations. (forbes.com) Earlier Forbes coverage by Elliott has made the same point more directly. In articles published March 29 and April 4, Forbes described travel insurance as a form of protection that travelers often confront at checkout and said policy details can determine whether coverage is useful when trips are disrupted. (forbes.com) ### Was this just about drivers, or about summer travel more broadly? The May 21 Forbes piece covered more than road trips. Elliott said travelers should expect pressure across flights, rental cars and other parts of the summer travel market, and he described a system that “punishes the unprepared.” (forbes.com) Forbes had already been publishing related guidance through April and May. Articles on April 25 and May 9 addressed flight delays, cancellations and airline failures, while the May 21 piece tied those risks together with road-trip maintenance and insurance planning ahead of Memorial Day. (forbes.com) ### What should readers watch next? Monday, May 25, is the end of AAA’s Memorial Day travel forecast window, which runs from May 21 through May 25. Christopher Elliott’s May 21 Forbes article remains the main published advisory in this report, and AAA’s May 11 forecast remains the benchmark for expected U.S. holiday travel volumes. (newsroom.aaa.com) (forbes.com)