A recipe for safe driving this holiday weekend

1 February 2012

A recipe for safe driving this holiday weekend

The Automobile Association has come up with the following recipe for drivers to stay safe on the roads this long weekend.

You will need:

• 1 seatbelt per person
• 1 full measure of attention
• Plenty of holiday traffic
• At least 2 seconds gap to the car in front
• A level spoonful of speed
• A pinch of patience
• No cellphones

This everyday dish seems simple but can go disastrously wrong in a moment so make sure you are well-rested and fully focussed when you get behind the wheel.

First, take your seatbelt and pull it to length. You’ll hear a click when it is long enough, then make sure the bottom is snug and low across your waist. A seat-belt is only enough for one person so make sure every passenger gets their own, front and back, before you add any other ingredients. It is too late to look back later and wish you had prepared more.

Next, add your full cup of attention and begin mixing with holiday traffic. Attention can reduce over time so add more as necessary to keep it topped up and take regular breaks to stay fresh. Cellphones are a particular risk to attention, so keep them right out of the mix by turning them off or giving them to a passenger.

Make sure your measure of speed suits the conditions and toss in a generous pinch of patience to keep the mix from boiling over if things get hot.

The essential ingredient is to keep at least a two-second gap from the car in front at all times, or four seconds if it’s wet. Any less than that and it’s going to be unsavoury and dangerous. Never cut your following distances too short or they can become toxic and even potentially fatal.

This dish is just as good in a group or on your own and, needless to say, should never be accompanied by alcohol.

Enjoy.

AA Motoring Affairs General Manager Mike Noon says the AA came up with the recipe as an unorthodox and light—hearted way to remind drivers about the best ways they can stay safe.

“If there were just three simple things we want drivers to keep in mind they would be wearing a seatbelt, keeping a good following distance and driving at the right speed for the conditions,” says Mr Noon.

“Over the Christmas holiday period there were several people killed in crashes who may well have survived if they had just been wearing a seat belt. A two-week police blitz late last year also disappointingly found 3042 people not wearing their seat belt so we are reminding every driver and passenger to make it click. And if you are in a car with someone who isn’t wearing their belt, tell them it’s not worth the risk and to buckle up.”

The AA is also continuing to urge drivers to keep a good following distance – at least two-seconds behind the vehicle you’re following if it’s dry and four-seconds if it is wet – and to drive at the right speed for the conditions and traffic you’re in.

“Tailgating the vehicle in front of you won’t get you to your destination any faster but will give you much less time to react if something unexpected happens. It’ll also be frustrating for you and annoying for the driver you’re following, so drop back a bit and make things more enjoyable and safer for everyone.

“Driving at the right speed is just as important and our advice is: ‘go with the flow – not too fast and not too slow’.

“Going too fast on corners in particular is a major cause of crashes and going more than 4kmh over the limit can also get you ticketed by the police, so make sure you stay aware of your speed.

“And if you are going at less than the speed limit or see there are several cars behind you, find a safe spot to pull over and let other vehicles pass and keep left and slow down in passing lanes.”

ENDS

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