Car Safety

The figures are frightening- over 41,000 people die in road traffic accidents every year and over 2million more suffer severe and disabling injuries.

There are a number of effective ways to stay safe whilst driving. One is by ensuring that your car is roadworthy and well-maintained, but it is especially important to take responsibility for your own driving whilst being vigilant of other vehicles on the road.

This is more commonly known as defensive driving- the practice of protecting yourself from harm by keeping a close eye on other vehicles as well as driving responsibly in your own car. A large number of crashes are caused by drivers speeding, not paying attention to road conditions, being careless (not checking for other vehicles etc.) and not wearing seatbelts (or not wearing them correctly).

Safety Tips

Therefore, there are some very simple ways that you can avoid accidents and collisions:

• Always wear a seatbelt, and ensure that all passengers do too. It is best to get into the habit of securing everyone before you have even started the engine. It is also worth investing in special dog car harnesses. You can buy them in most pet shops and car stores. They protect your pet and you.
• Drive at a reasonable speed, not too fast or slow.
• Consider the conditions and drive accordingly- is it wet and slippery, foggy with poor visibility or fine and dry?
• Be familiar with the rules of the road and stick to them- Give way to traffic on the right, stay in the correct lane at roundabouts.
• Do not contend with other drivers- don’t race them, cut them up or in any way obstruct their path.
• Keep a gap between vehicles - Stay at least 3 seconds behind another vehicle.
• Be vigilant of other vehicles- if you notice another car swerving or braking suddenly for no reason, the driver may be impaired and you should avoid driving near it.
• Alert the police to any suspicious driving – it could prevent a serious accident.
• Never drive after you have been drinking- you may have only had 1 drink, but there are a number of factors (if you haven’t eaten, your sex and weight, how long ago you drank) which affect your blood alcohol level. Don’t risk it – take a taxi or designate a driver who won’t drink.
• Don’t drive if you are sleep deprived or very tired. This affects concentration, reactions and perception. Ask someone else to drive or reschedule the journey.

Driving Courses

You may wish to consider enrolling on a defensive driving course, or a driver improvement course. These types of course focus on being a more responsive and responsible driver, better handling of vehicles and how to avoid collision safely.

These websites offer further information and enrolment on courses:

• www.nsc.org/train/ddc/ddcchart.cfm
• www.besafedrivertraining.org.uk

Breakdown

It is very likely that at some point in your life you will be in a vehicle that breaks down whilst on the road. To ensure your safety and that of other passengers, there are some basic steps to follow to keep safe.

• When you realise something is wrong, don’t panic and swerve or brake suddenly. Slow down gradually and pull into the emergency lane or hard shoulder. Use your hazard lights (emergency flashers) to let other drivers know what is happening.
• If you have a mobile phone, use it to alert a breakdown service to the problem.
• If you don’t have a mobile phone, walk to the nearest emergency phone or telephone box (if not on a motorway/dual carriageway). Do not attempt to get the attention of other drivers by flagging them down or stepping into their path.
• If you can’t move the vehicle, put on the emergency indicators and let police/breakdown service know immediately.
• Once your vehicle is off the road, use hazard lights and reflective triangles and raise the hood to make it visible to other vehicles and breakdown services. If it is dark, put on the interior light.
• Do not stay in the vehicle if it on the side of a road. Get out and stand back from the road.
• If you are changing a flat tyre, ensure it is safe to do so- that you are far enough away from other traffic. Always move the vehicle out of the road and never attempt on the spot repairs.

Safety Equipment

It is helpful if you carry with you some basic pieces of equipment:

• Mobile phone – to telephone breakdown services or police
• Torch/flashlight – for night time emergencies
• Reflective marker triangles – to make your vehicle visible to other drivers and breakdown services
• Telephone number of breakdown service and if you are a member, carry your card in the car – for speed and simplicity
• Spare jacket – in case you have to wait outside your car in the cold or wet
• Jack – all the following are helpful for tyre changes
• Wheel brace
• Spanners
• Screwdrivers
• Car manual – you never know when you may need that information!