New Year’s resolutions and goals traditionally focus on health and wellness or being more organized. Make one of your promises this year to drive more safely and with Aloha! These resolutions should be kept year-round to keep your loved ones safe.

The following tips can help protect you and your family while traveling:

You sit down with your ohana to talk about a fire evacuation plan for your home and other emergency situations. Why not get everyone together at the start of the year to discuss a family traffic safety plan?

Sitting down as a family provides a more focused setting to reinforce driver safety with your teenage driver, not when he or she is asking you for the car keys. Tragically, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens each year. So take the proper time and attention required to talk with your teenager about the dangers of drunk and distracted driving, speeding and driving late at night before they get behind the wheel.

Even if your kids are not old enough to drive, you can talk to them about safely walking or bicycling the streets in your community, and show how to interact with others sharing our roads. Instructing them about traffic safety starts while they are young. This helps to instill good and proper traffic safety habits when they do reach driving age.

The start of the new year is an opportune time to have your vehicle properly maintained. Make sure your vehicle has had a recent oil change, tune-up and that the tires are rotated and properly inflated. If your vehicle has not been serviced regularly, arrange a maintenance checkup to look for problems that may not be clearly visible.

It’s also a good opportunity to make sure your car insurance, driver’s license, vehicle registration and safety sticker are up-to-date. This allows you ample time to renew documents and insurance policies before they expire. These updated documents are important if you are involved in an accident or pulled over by police.

Check that your smaller keiki have the appropriate car seat or booster based on age and size and that the seat is installed correctly. Remind your young children about the importance of buckling up while riding in the car so they learn early.

Additionally, have your younger ones wear proper safety equipment while walking, bicycling or traveling by other means. Have them wear a certified safety helmet if they ride a bicycle, skateboard or roller skates. And make sure they can be easily seen by having them wear bright clothing, or attaching reflective decals and stickers to their mode of transportation or clothes.

Have a safe and Happy New Year by driving with ALOHA!