Stay Safe on the Roads this Easter

easterHere are some tips to help you stay safe on the roads this Easter weekend writes Geraldine Herbert

Drivers
• Plan your route before you set off and check traffic updates.
• Allow extra time for your journey, especially if you are travelling at peak times.
• Plan a 15-minute break every two hours so you can have a rest from driving.
• Check your mirrors regularly and look out for motorcyclists. Always double check for motorcyclists before turning left or right or emerging from a junction.

Travelling with kids
• Always have a supply of “gifts”, something small like dices or hair clips wrapped up for those tricky moments. The distraction of unwrapping may just be enough to postpone a potential meltdown.
• A good way to keep peace in the car is to assign the older child the task of keeping an eye on siblings. This fosters a sense of responsibility in the older child.
• If there is a problem or issue find a safe place to pull over before the situation escalates.
• Reward good car behaviour, stickers, praise and a little extra of what your child enjoys goes a long way.
• If you are taking older kids with you, take something to keep them entertained while you concentrate on driving. Cordless games consoles and portable DVD players (with headphones!) are perfect for this
• Anticipate what children need before you embark on the journey and ensure that their games and car safe toys are easily accessible. Check that there are no choking hazards at arm’s reach to small children and avoid anything that can be used as a missile/weapon against parent or sibling.
• Ensure that there is no sun or glare in your children’s eyes as this can cause them to be irritable; a glare-reducing window screen is a good solution.
• If you are on a long journey and children need to have access to drinks or snack make sure they easy to reach, handle and hard to spill. Bite-sized snacks packaged in individual containers are the easiest and safest to deal with while on route

Motorcyclists
• Make yourself visible to other road users by wearing fluorescent clothes during the day and reflective gear at night.
• Get into position and indicate in good time before you turn right or left so other motorists know what you intend to do.
• If you are overtaking, take a lifesaver glance over your shoulder and check what other motorists around you are doing.
• Always wear protective clothing and a safety helmet that fits – it could save your life.
• Take extra care when riding as a group – crashes often occur when riders try to keep up with a lead rider.
Cyclists
• Even though the nights are getting brighter always have a set of lights with you and also consider if not included in your nighttime lights daytime mode lights
• Take extra care when approaching trucks and always remember left-turning trucks pose a significant risk to cyclists so never pass a truck on the inside.
• When passing a parked car move out more than the width of an open door to avoid being hit.

 

 

 

Geraldine Herbert

 19th April 2019

 

Author: Geraldine Herbert

Motoring Editor and Columnist for the Sunday Independent and editor of wheelsforwomen. Geraldine is also a regular contributor to Good Housekeeping (UK), EuroNews and to RTÉ, Newstalk, TodayFM, BBC Radio and Vigin Media. You can follow Geraldine on Twitter at @GerHerbert1

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