you can guess why this is important during your regular drive, but it can be even more important during a road trip because you will be driving at high speed and need to apply the brakes pretty hard if you come across trouble. the easiest way to make sure that your brakes are in the right shape is to look at them! take your car into the light, kneel down, and take a look at your brake pads. if you can see a pin showing through your brake pads, they look like they have seen better days, or you can see any film or coating on them before your road 