This week we’ve got a number of articles coming out that are designed to give you five best practices to stay safe on the road for different road users. The most popular form of transport on roads is in a car, so we’re starting with our car safety tips.
Five Safety Tips for Drivers
1. Never drive a car if you believe it is unsafe to do so. You will be responsible for operating the vehicle so if you think it is in a dangerous condition or you are impaired in any way then you should not get behind the wheel.
2. Always wear your seatbelt and make sure all of your passengers are wearing theirs as well. You are legally responsible to ensure that all passengers under the age of 14 are in appropriate seatbelts.
3. Keep to the speed limits and remember the speed limit is the maximum speed and not a target. Various factors may mean that it might not be safe to travel at the speed limit at all times, for example wet weather, reduced visibility, passing a slower road user will all need you to reduce your speed.
4. Leave plenty of space between you and the vehicle in front of you to give yourself more time to react if they do something you’re not expecting such as braking for a potential hazard you can’t see. You should give extra space to larger vehicles, lorries and buses, as they have a longer braking time and if the weather is bad as rain can significantly increase braking distance.
5. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted from the road. This includes looking at your phone, fiddling with the infotainment centre or by loud passengers or pets in the vehicle.
Five Safety Tips for Passengers
1. Never get into a car if you think the driver is inebriated by alcohol or drugs, or you have concerns about the driver’s ability or the car’s condition. It is better to arrange alternative transport and still be alive without
2. Always wear your seatbelt. You are legally responsible for ensuring you are correctly buckled in (provided you are not under 14 years old) and if you are involved in an accident a seatbelt can drastically reduce the risk of injury to yourself when worn correctly.
3. Sit in the seat properly, not only does this ensure your seatbelt is positioned correctly but it will also help further reduce the risk of injury to yourself. For example, sitting with your feet on the dashboard can lead to the airbags forcing your knees into your face at high speed and cause injuries that you wouldn’t have if you sat with your feet on the floor.
4. Don’t distract the driver. They’re in charge of the vehicle you’re travelling in so you should not try to take their attention away from the road, and if they ask you to stop doing something as it’s distracting them then you should do so.
5. Try not to block visibility for the driver. If you’re sitting in the front passenger seat then this might mean leaning backwards or forwards so the driver has better visibility at a junction or ducking down if you’re in the middle rear seat and the driver is reversing.
Five Safety Tips to Keep You Safe Around Cars
1. If you’re not travelling in a motor vehicle then you should make sure that you are visible to them and other road users. This means wearing light or bright colours that make you more noticeable and having appropriate lights when it gets dark.
2. Know what you are and aren’t allowed to do. We recommend reading the Highway Code at least once a year as a refresher to make sure you know all rules that apply to you and road user etiquette.
3. Be cautious, even if you have the right of way you need to be aware that if you are a pedestrian or cyclist you are more vulnerable if involved in an accident so you should always make sure you can perform a manoeuvre safely before executing this.
4. Make sure to look around you. Unless you’re crossing a flow of traffic it can be easy to be focused on where you are travelling but you should regularly take a look at the rest of your surroundings so that you know what is behind you and what might be passing you. This will be especially important if your mode of transport does not have mirrors that allow you to do this while looking forward.
5. If you’re travelling with children you should make sure they know the rules of the road and try to keep them in the safest position on the road as possible.
We’ll be posting tomorrow with an article on pedestrian safety!
Enjoyed this article? Read more of our latest blogs below:
- Safer Roads for All Users
- THe Race to EV Mainstream Motoring
- The History of Mini Cars
- End of the Road for Ford Best Sellers
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