Do you know what the super six are?
This week’s tips give advice on those often overlooked road safety issues. Richard Gladman, head of driving and riding standards for the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, advises you on how to stay safe on the road with ‘six of the best’.
- Slow down around schools and keep an eye on speed limit signs as these may change down to 20mph. This may not be rocket science but it’s easily forgotten when you repeat the same morning commute every day. If you want to be on time simply leave earlier and check a route planner beforehand
- Seatbelts are a must. Passengers over 14 are responsible for their own seat belts but it is you as the driver who will be stopped for this. So take charge and tell them all to ‘belt up’. Bear in mind that loose items in a car can become projectiles in a crash as can an unrestrained passenger. Keep your car tidy and store bags or tools securely in the boot
- Keep to the speed limit. Rushing from junction to junction or hold up to hold up is often counterproductive. Why hurry up to wait? A 50 mile journey at 80mph will save you at most six minutes compared to the same distance at 70mph. Is it worth the stress and the extra fuel? Remember we have speed limits, not targets
- The dangers of hand-held mobile phones are well-known but taking or making calls by Bluetooth can be just as distracting. If you switch the phone off when you get behind the wheel you can concentrate fully on perfecting your driving skills
- Dazzle from low sun is a factor in more crashes than dazzle from headlights. Keep your windscreen clean and don’t put those sunglasses away just yet
- It is legal for motorcyclists to filter through traffic, so give them space and never try to deliberately block them. Before changing lanes, check your mirrors and blind spots carefully before you make your move
Richard said: “Most delays on our main roads are caused by accidents and breakdowns. Prevention is so much easier than cure. Check the car over before your journey, keep your distance, manage your speed and we can all have an incident free week, year and lifetime.”
Leave a Reply