Road safety and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist is encouraging every driver to make a New Year’s resolution based on safer driving.
GEM has created TALENT as a quick and easy checklist to reduce risk on every journey. According to GEM’s road safety officer Neil Worth, there’s something for every driver in the six short and simple tips.
“Showing our TALENT for driving means thinking about the risks we face and the risks we may pose to others on journeys,” he says. “We have known for some time that human error is the critical reason for 93 per cent of crashes (Figures from NHTSA National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey, 2008), so we also know that there is a massive potential to do things more safely on journeys. At GEM, we are encouraging every driver to pause and reflect on how to improve safety and reduce risk. What better New Year’s resolution could there be?!”
TALENT: GEM’s six tips for safer driving in 2018
Think: on every journey, anticipate the risks and hazards. Maintain your own constantly-evolving risk assessment on every journey. In this way, nothing need come as a surprise.
Avoid distractions: these can come in the form of something inside the car, something outside the car or even something inside your mind. The important thing is to focus 100 per cent on the driving task.
Leave earlier: journey planning saves fuel and reduces stress. Who wants to rush out at the last minute and spend the whole journey using potentially risky manoeuvres in an attempt to catch up?
Educate yourself: how about a few minutes checking the Highway Code? When did you last take a look? Did you know there have been six Highway Code updates in the last two years alone?
Neat and Tidy: cars don’t magically stay clean on their own, so make a point of giving your car a good clean – inside and out – at least every month. In winter, make more frequent checks to ensure your lights are all clean and working, and you have the best possible visibility out of every window.
Take a break: don’t drive tired, as your ability to react is seriously impaired. Drowsy drivers are dangerous drivers. If you begin to feel sleepy on a journey, find somewhere safe to stop and take a break.
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