The Easter weekend is ahead of us and annually, our roads see high volumes of traffic with many families and church goers hitting the road to spend time with family or attend church services.
HERE ARE OUR ROAD SAFETY TIPS:
REST: Rest well the day or night before travel. While on the road, stop every two hours or 200km to stretch, and get fresh air. Make the journey part of the holiday experience.
DON'T GET DESTRUCTED: Put all non-essential electronic devices away. When you are driving, put your cellphone away and only use it when you need to and not when you want to. You can also install hands-free kit in your call to answer your phone without being distracted.
MAKE SURE YOUR CAR IS ROADWORTHY: Before embarking on your journey, have your car serviced to ensure it is roadworthy before your trip. All lights and indicators, windscreen wipers, brakes, steering, exhaust system and tyres should be carefully examined for faults and do not overload your vehicle.
BUCKLE UP: Once you have taken to the road, ensure you and your passengers are buckled up no matter how short the trip may be. Ensure children are always properly buckled in the back seat in a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt, whichever is appropriate for their weight, height and age.
DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE: According to Arrive Alive, drunken driving is one of the biggest threats to road safety in the country with research indicating that 50% of people who die on the roads have a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit of 0.05 gram per 100 millilitres. You may think it's a small drink, but you could be over the limit of 0.05g, which when caught, the penalties can be severe, including fines, licence suspensions and up to two years imprisonment, as stipulated in the National Road Traffic Act.
KEEP SAFE FOLLOWING DISTANCE: When on the road, always keep a safe following distance to ensure there is enough space for you to react in case of an emergency. If your journey is long, take 15-minute breaks after two hours of driving to avoid fatigue.
BE VIGILANT: Remain vigilant and avoid stopping in remote areas and adhere to all road rules. Be alert to areas that might present a threat of criminal activity such as hijackings and smash-and-grab. Always place your valuables in the car boot and never leave valuables in open sight.
KEEP FIRST-AID KIT IN YOUR CAR: A well-stocked first-aid kit can save lives. Your kit should contain different-sized gauze pads; a box of adhesive bandages; one gauze roller bandage; two triangular bandages; wound-cleaning agent; a pair of scissors; at least one blanket; a pair of tweezers; adhesive tape; latex gloves; resuscitation equipment such as resuscitation bag, or airway or pocket mask; two elastic wraps and a splint.
Sources:ArriveAlive/CarTrack
Happy Easter from Zimoja Lezinto team!
