Health, Safety and Environment

Road Safety

Although you can not control other road users you can greatly reduce your chances of having an accident by taking the following precautions:

Make sure you are properly rested before starting a journey.
Before setting off check your vehicle to make sure it is fit for the road, taking special care to check the oil, lights, water levels and tyres.
When using a hire car, make yourself familiar with its controls and adjust the seat and mirrors to suit you.
Observe the speed limits.
Reduce your speed to suit the road and weather conditions.
Keep your distance from the vehicle in front, leaving at least a two second gap.
On long journeys frequently stop before you start to lose concentration or start to feel tiredness setting in.
Park safely, not blocking corners or junctions and not where pedestrians will have to walk into the road to pass your vehicle.
Be considerate of other road users.
Never drive whilst under the influence of alcohol.

Avoid venturing out if at all possible. For those unable to delay travelling:

Carry a blanket, spade, torch, food and drink and a mobile phone in case of a breakdown.
Check your lights, brakes, tyres and anti-freeze before you set out.
Clear your windscreen properly, using de-icer and scraping the screen clear.
While driving allow at least three times the normal stopping distance.
Allow more time for your journey in case you breakdown.
When making a journey, telephone your destination to estimate your time of arrival. When you arrive, try to call somebody back home to let them know you have arrived safely.
If you breakdown on a motorway, do not remain in your car, one in eight motorway deaths occur as a result of a crash on the hard shoulder.
If you call for help from a motorway, use the emergency phone instead of a mobile, since it alerts the Police Control Centre to your whereabouts.