Many people will be on the roads today, all heading off on their long weekend adventures. These are some important tips to help you drive safer.
The long weekend is about to start and if you haven’t left for your weekend away yet, these are some important tips to follow. These tips will help you drive safer and protect those in your car and others on the roads.
Arrive Alive has listed over 100 tips to exercise road safety, you can read all 100 here. Below are some of the most important ones.
Planning the Journey
- Make sure you have your drivers licence with you.
- Plan the route to your destination and give yourself enough time to reach the destination. Take your time and stick to the speed limits.
- Use a GPS navigation tool or a road atlas to plan your trip in advance.
- For peace of mind, try to stick to major routes or toll roads.
- Identify the towns along the route and what the distance is between them if you plan to travel on the back roads.
- Make sure you have enough fuel between stops and plan where to stop for fuel along the way.
- Take breaks, be sure to plan enough rest stops along the way to stretch your legs. Look for farmstalls or other fun attractions to make the trip more fun.
- Try to avoid driving after dark if possible.
- Expect others not to be as obedient to the law as yourself.
Before leaving for your trip, make sure your car is prepared for a long trip and is roadworthy.
Roadworthiness
- Make sure that your vehicle is in a roadworthy condition before departure.
- Test all the lights and indicators, windscreen wipers, brakes, steering, exhaust system and tyres. Get repairs done if there are any faults.
- Take your vehicle for a full check before leaving for your holiday.
- Do not overload/overpack your vehicle.
Safe Driving Tips
- Avoid distractions, keep both eyes on the road and hands on the steering wheel.
- Be visible – drive with your lights on
- Stay within the speed limit at all times.
- Be alert when approaching traffic lights, intersections and road crossings.
- Only overtake when it is safe to do so
- Maintain a safe following distance – this distance should be increased at night, in foggy or rainy conditions and when the road is wet.
- Avoid driving on the blind spot of other vehicles.
- Be courteous towards fellow road users – keep your temper and resist the temptation to retaliate.
- Keep an eye on potentially dangerous drivers and pedestrians alongside the road and keep clear of them.
- If you cannot see while driving, pull over and wait for the weather to clear.
In case of emergencies, keep these important numbers on hand.
Police: 10111
Ambulance: 10177
Emergency: 112
ER24: 084 124
Netcare: 082 911
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