Travelling in holiday periods can be more risky because of increased traffic volumes, congestion, tiredness and people driving in unfamiliar environments.
Why you need to be alert on holidays
What you can do to increase your safety
Plan ahead
Drive to the conditions
‘Conditions’ doesn’t just mean the weather. It includes:
Before you travel
Buckle up
- There may be more vehicles are on the road
- many people are driving on unfamiliar roads
- people are driving long hours and getting fatigued
What you can do to increase your safety
Plan ahead
- Take a little time to make sure that your vehicle is safe before travelling: check tyres, brakes, wind screen wipers etc.
- Plan to avoid the worst peak traffic periods when many highways become congested.
- Schedule regular rest stops.
Drive to the conditions
‘Conditions’ doesn’t just mean the weather. It includes:
- The road you’re on
- The weather
- The traffic conditions
- The speed (the speed limit and a ‘safe speed’ may differ)
- You, i.e, are you tired or on medication that affects your driving?
- Your vehicle and load.
Before you travel
- check that your warrant of fitness and vehicle licence are up to date
- check that you have a current driver licence. It's expired or close to expiry? You need to renew it before starting your journey.
- When packing your vehicle, make sure everything is securely stowed. Even small objects can become dangerous missiles in the event of a sudden stop or crash.
Buckle up
- Don’t let your family holiday be marred by tragedy simply because someone didn’t buckle up. If you’re the driver you are legally responsible for making sure all passengers under the age of 15 are securely restrained with either a safety belt or child restraint.
- Children under five must be properly restrained by an approved child restraint suitable to their size and weight.
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