One of the best gifts that you can give your teenager when they are heading off to college far away is the gift of auto assistance. You want to know that they will be okay if something happens to their vehicle while they are driving, and you are nowhere around them to help. Here are some of the things to consider as your teen gets ready to leave for college, and you are trying to prepare them to be independent and for what lies ahead.

Show Them How to Check Their Tires and Oil

Make sure that your teen knows how to change their tire before they leave for college. This may take some practice, but if they break down or realize they have a flat while they are on campus, this is going to save them time and you money. They should also be able to check the oil if the check engine light comes on, to see if it's low. Just because the oil light isn't on doesn't mean that it couldn't be part of the problem.

Get Them Emergency Supplies for the Vehicle

There are specific supplies you want to have in the trunk for your teen. These different supplies will include a spare tire, jumper cables, pepper spray, oil, and cones.

With all of these items, the teen can jump their car if the battery goes dead, change their tire, hurt someone trying to attack them, add oil to their car, or make a space where people should drive around them in case of an accident. Make sure your teen knows never to walk on the road side of the vehicle.

Roadside Assistance Plan

Shop around for the costs of different roadside assistant plans. This means that if something happened they could contact someone to tow their car, unlock their doors, jump the battery, or change a faulty tire.

These are just some of the things they can get assistance with if they can't get it done on their own, if it's late and they don't want to get out of their car, or if they need help.

If you worry about your teen being able to take care of their car while they are off at college, and if something happens that they won't fix it right away, you want to make sure that you prepare them. Teach them the basics of vehicle maintenance and then get them a roadside assistance plan as a backup measure for your own peace of mind and to stop worrying.