Vehicle Preparing and Packing
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Have your vehicle checked before traveling. Many garages offer
safety checks for tire tread and pressure, lights, brakes, cooling
systems and other components
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Make sure everything is securely stowed when you pack your vehicle.
Even small objects can become dangerous missiles in the event of a
sudden stop or a crash
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If you’re towing a trailer or caravan, load heavy objects evenly
over all of the axles
Holiday driving often means spending several hours behind the wheel. Long
journeys can be tiring, and fatigue can be fatal behind the wheel. There are
some simple ways to avoid fatigue and improve your alertness:
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Get plenty of sleep before your journey, and try to drive at times of
the day when you are normally awake
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Take your time and plan for rest breaks every couple of hours. Get out
of your vehicle and take a short walk or do some other exercise to get
your blood flowing and improve alertness. If you feel tired, take a
short nap (less than 40 minutes)
- If possible, share the driving
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Don’t drink and drive, and don’t speed. Many fatigue-related crashes
also involve these two factors
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Use air conditioning if your vehicle has it. Cool air will keep you more
alert and will help avoid frustration and stress, which is a major cause
of fatigue. Make sure your air conditioning is set to the
"fresh air" mode
Keep an Eye Out for Kids
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Watch out for children on the road. Young cyclists and pedestrians can be
unpredictable and poor judges of vehicle speed
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Young children may also be learning to ride new bikes over the holidays.
Please respect cycle lanes
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Keep an eye out for beginning drivers - the holidays are a popular time to
learn to drive
Keep your Cool
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Keep left unless passing. If you’re a slower driver, pull over when you can
to let others pass
- Be patient and don’t be provoked by other drivers’ aggressive behavior
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Be courteous - let others merge into traffic and use your indicators before
turning or changing lanes
Buckle Up
Too many family holidays are marred by tragedy when a crash occurs and people aren’t
properly restrained. It’s the driver’s responsibility to make sure that all passengers are
wearing safety belts.
The law requires
children to be restrained in approved child seats suitable to their size and weight.
Violations of child passenger restraint laws can result in substantial fines.
Share the Road
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Always keep a safe following distance between yourself and the vehicle in front.
This gives you a safe stopping distance should the vehicle in front of you stop
suddenly
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Be patient. Trucks and towing vehicles have lower speed limits. If
you’re travelling behind a slower vehicle, wait for a passing lane or until you
can see clear road ahead of you and enough space to overtake safely
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After overtaking a larger vehicle, don’t slow down quickly or cut in too
closely. Larger vehicles take a longer time to slow down
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