What should you check before starting your trip?

Before starting a trip, it is essential to inspect all of your vehicle's lights. This inspection is a critical safety measure because functioning lights are necessary for visibility and signaling to other drivers. Proper lighting helps prevent accidents, especially at night or in adverse weather conditions, where visibility is compromised. Ensuring that headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and hazard lights are all operational contributes to overall road safety for the driver, passengers, and other road users.

While checking the air conditioning system is helpful for comfort, it does not impact the vehicle's safety or operational readiness. Confirming your route with passengers is certainly a good practice, but it typically pertains more to travel planning rather than the vehicle's immediate readiness for the journey. Loading the truck to maximum weight can lead to unsafe driving conditions if it exceeds legal weight limits or affects vehicle stability, making it an inappropriate choice as a pre-trip check. Thus, inspecting the vehicle's lights stands out as the most crucial action to ensure safe operation.