Five Ways to Stay Safe this Holiday Season

Gold Coast Mum presents this article in partnership with GC Traffic Lawyers

The holiday season has a strange effect on many motorists, and not in a good way.

Perhaps it’s the season’s cheerful aura that makes them forget or ignore basic road rules, or perhaps it’s the fact that there are many more people on the roads that makes the place seem even more dangerous than normal.

Whatever the reason, the accident rate spirals at this time of year, so it is important to remember a few things to keep you safe this holiday season.

Try Proactive Legal Advice

If you’re really worried about staying safe this season, be proactive and brush up on the current rules, regulations and responsibilities you carry as a driver. You could visit the website of a traffic law firm such as GCTraffic Lawyers for some additional information to get you on your way, or just pull out a road rule book for a bit of a refresher. You’ll be amazed at how many basic regulations you may have forgotten.

Use Common Sense

Don’t do something stupid. It sounds simple enough advice, but many accidents are caused by drivers doing silly things. Human instinct is a powerful force, and many people rue the day they decide to ignore the little warning signals in their head and take the risk anyway.

If a manoeuvre in your car seems dangerous, it probably is. If there is a nagging word of caution in your head to be careful, follow it. To be safe, you need to be smart.

Be Courteous to other Drivers

Be nice to fellow road users. If you can let a car in to the line of traffic, do so.

Don’t rush other drivers and force them to make mistakes. Showing a bit of courtesy can go a long way towards a safe and pleasant journey. And you will find that displaying courtesy to others will return courteous behaviour in kind.

Follow the Speed Limits

We’ve all heard and seen the road safety advertisements – speed kills. One of the greatest killers on the roads is speeding, so much so that law enforcement more than doubles on the roads at holiday time.

It is important to understand that speed limits are well thought out and there for a reason, not just to randomly slow you down.

Engineers have worked out the safe speeds you can do, and you are advised to respect them.

Have Rules in Your Car

Depending on your age and experience, the antics of passengers in your car can have a detrimental effect on your driving.

Distracted drivers are dangerous drivers. It is quite reasonable to set rules in your car to stop your passengers doing silly things that may distract you. Don’t feel embarrassed – safety comes first. And anyway, it’s your car, so you can set any limits you want. (Though it may be hard to get the little people in your life to abide by such rules).

Safety on the roads over the holiday period is everyone’s responsibility. You can’t stop others from doing stupid and dangerous things, but you can modify your own driving behaviour to at least take away some of the risks.