Summer Safety - on the road

Road safety has been making headlines again as we approach the busy summer season and the road toll for 2017 tops last year’s total. (Radio NZ).

Holidays periods are typically the worst time for deaths on the road. Months with long weekends or holidays occurring show an increase over other months of 1-2%. Which, sounds like no big deal. Until you realize you are talking about real lives.

We can blame the road design. We can blame other drivers. We can blame the bird that flew up and gave us a fright. We can blame alcohol. We can blame being tired. At the end of the day, if you’re driving, you have to take responsibility for it all. That means being vigilant. It means driving fresh. It means staying calm when you’re stuck behind someone who’s going slower than you’d like. It means stopping if you’re thirsty or if the kids are arguing in the back seat.

This Christmas put some thought not just into your travel plans but into making your travel as safe as possible. Don’t wait for the roads to be changed, make changes yourself

1. Love your car! Have your car checked or serviced before starting your holidays. You’ve still got time to fit this in. Especially if you do your Christmas shopping online as we talked about in this blog.
2. Plan to drive refreshed. Think about what you’re planning to do the night before you take off on a long drive. If you’ve got a big night planned, think about leaving later to allow time for more sleep or arrange for someone else to drive. Or alternatively, if you know you’ll be driving the next day, don’t stay out so late and don’t drink alcohol.
3. Don’t drink and drive. If you’re attending social functions and intend to drink, leave your car at home. Plan ahead for this if you’re not in your home town, making sure you know local taxi companies or how the public transport works.
4. Check the traffic before you leave. Don’t wait till you jump in the car to check if there are traffic jams or which route to take. Get online and check the red lines. If traffic is heavy, let people know you’ll be leaving later. Sit back relax, watch some telly and be glad you’re not stuck in it. Your friends and family would rather you arrived late and safely than not at all.

Once you’re in the car be courteous, don’t speed, maintain the gap and stay focused. The AA has lots of tips about safe driving as well as great suggestions for places to go and things to do.

At Pinnacle Life we take planning for the unexpected seriously. Family is important. So make sure you keep them safe on the roads this Christmas.