Road safety tips for the festive season – keep safe and enjoy yourself!

It seems everyone is in a hurry trying to wrap up their shopping and enjoy festive celebrations. But as you’re dashing around town, it’s important to keep road safety top of mind, as the streets are busier and drivers are distracted by their holiday to do lists, the roads often face icier conditions in the Western Hemisphere and the yule tide celebration can bring alcohol to the forefront.

Road Cover South Africa offer some tips for the festive period to ensure your festive season is enjoyed without a hitch – we have adapted their tips to a global context.

People are urged to to be more careful on the roads. Here are a few friendly tips to ensure your Festive season is a safe one:

Don’t drink and drive
Drunk driving is a major contributory factor to road crashes and road deaths in the world. If you going to a Christmas party and plan to indulge in a drink or two and get merry,  don’t drive. Stay the night or plan a safe alternative to get home such as a cab or designated driver who does not drink all night. Did you know that even in the morning after you have slept you could still be drunk and over the limit? Read more about how drinking is absorbed into the body and how the body passes the alcohol with this calculator. This

Slow down
In the rush to get to a Christmas party or do your Christmas shopping before the malls close, you may be tempted to speed. But police presence is greater on the roads both day and night throughout the season, and a speeding ticket and possible accidents are not likely on your holiday wish list. Speeding increases the likliness of a crash.

Wear your seat belt
Always buckle up. Wearing your seat belt can reduce your risk of dying in a crash by about half or more.  Also, make sure young passengers are buckled into appropriate safety seats.

Watch for emergency vehicles.
In an emergency, every second counts. When you hear a siren, be sure to pull off to the side of the road to allow the ambulance, police car or fire truck to pass. Do as the rules say in this situation and be safe.

Carry an Emergency Kit
Always be prepared.The kit should include items that would come in handy if you are stranded on the side of the road or involved in a vehicle accident.

Pull Off the Road if You Feel Tired
Please don’t try to drive when your eyes are shutting; you could kill yourself or others if you fall asleep. Have turns driving if there is another licensed person in the vehicle.  Stop regularly to take breaks.

Be extra careful!
In many parts of the world, the temperature gets colder, the nights darker and the roads icy, slippery, wet or snow covered. In these situations, only drive when absolutely necessary and if you must, be extra careful. Its a sad fact that many people drive drunk during the Christmas perid so be extra vigilant of others, of pedestrians and other road users!

Here are a few checks that you can do, to make sure your car is ready for winter:

• Lights – see and be seen. Keep your indicators and headlamps clean and working and carry spare bulbs in the glove box   
• Fuel – stay out the red! A serious traffic jam can easily finish off a near empty tank. Not nice at any time of the year, but potentially deadly in the snow.
• Windscreen wipers – make sure they’re in working order, your windows are clean and your washer bottle is filled with screen wash.
• Tyres – check the condition, pressure and depth of your tyres (including the spare). Check tyre tread depth regularly to reduce the risk of aquaplaning.  The law requires car tyres to have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm.
• Brakes – make sure they are working well.
• Fluids – are topped up to the correct level, including oil, anti-freeze and water
• Emergency kit – put one in your car just in case you get stranded. Include things such as a phone, medication, a torch, food, extra clothes and blankets

Be prepared for bad weather:

• Plan your journey before you set off and allow yourself extra time:
• Check weather reports. Don’t make unnecessary journeys if there are severe weather warnings in place
• Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to get there
• Drive carefully and take account of the weather conditions. Leave a greater distance between you and the car in front – remember, it may take up to 10 times longer to stop in some conditions
• Winter sun – the sun can be dangerous in winter too. Be careful of dazzling rays when you are driving.