The holiday season brings Christmas tidings, family gatherings and festive celebrations all the way through to the new year. As the yuletide song goes; ’tis the season to be jolly’ and young people around the world are the center of attention this season with families ticking off present lists. The winter period offers a chance for family and friends to celebrate the festive period and the end of the year but this season, we urge young people around the world to keep the festivities happy by committing to road safety by making it an embedded part of the enjoyment. Why let good times go bad?
In the winter period, most of the Northern Hemisphere is covered by snow and icy conditions, afterall many of us are ‘Dreaming of a white Christmas’ and white blankets of snow is the youthful preamble for snowmen, snowball fights, snow angels and wonderful memories immortalized in winter photo snaps.
Many of us are enjoying the festive period by coming home from university, college or home from work and will sit back at enjoy the winter party season with a few drinks (if you are that way inclined) and spending time catching up with friends and family. Here at YOURS, we are young people ourselves and we know that at this time, inhibitions are often lower than the rest of the year, kisses are claimed under the mistletoe and young people everywhere will be toasting to the new year ahead, so why let this happy period go sour?
In many countries around the world, the month of December constitutes one of the worst months for road traffic crashes with more crashes happening in this month alone than in the rest of the year. Why is this? There are increased cases of drink driving, drunk pedestrians, crashes related to poor road conditions and lots of other issues making road crashes more prevalent during this season. We don’t want to bring the happy spirits down but we do want preserve life and reduce road crashes! With this in mind, you can follow simple tips to ensure the holiday period continues without the tragic loss of life or serious injuries…keep safe this season to enjoy the year ahead!
During the winter period, there is often more traffic on the roads and as drivers you should:
- Always prepare yourself before traveling by using a serviced car that is suitable for the road
- Ensure your car is fit for the road, check your battery and anti-freeze levels
- Think about your journey before you leave and incorporate rest breaks to combat fatigue
- During bad weather conditions, you should be prepared in case of a breakdown with extra clothing, blanket, torch and so forth
- Always follow your nation’s safety rules in case of a breakdown
- Leave extra distance from vehicles in bad driving conditions (icy, rainy, muddy etc)
- Leave extra time for your journey and drive slower in bad driving conditions
Whether you are a driver or not, you can increase your safety by ensuring:
- As a pedestrian, using reflective clothing in reduced light conditions and not being distracted
- As a two-wheel driver, ensuring you can be seen and always wear a helmet
- The driver never speeds and observes the safety rules
- All occupants of the car wear a seat belt
- The driver never drives tired and encourage regular breaks from driving
- The driver is not distracted
- Never ever drink and drive or drive under the influence of drugs
This year, if you are driving, why not try ‘Mocktails’ instead of cocktails? They are alcohol free and you should definitely not drive under the influence of alcohol at all!
We wish everybody a very happy holiday season and hope you will all commit to road safety during this challenging driving period. Remember, road safety is not just important during the winter period, it is important all year round. We as young people embrace life and commit to road safety, just like our 2011 campaign, so continue to enjoy your life into the new year by being a road safety ambassador and protecting your loved ones and each other!