Road safety advice
Road safety is one of the most serious public health and safety issues as it affects everyone.
Whether you are a motorist, a cyclist or a pedestrian you need to know how to take care on the roads in order to avoid harm to yourself and others.
This section contains advice and help on a number of road safety issues, which will help you and those people close to you to avoid harm through accidents caused by road use.
Many things can affect your ability to drive safely and one of these is alcohol. Alcohol tends to make you feel over-confident and more likely to take risks when driving, which increases the danger to all road users, including yourself.
Anyone who has consumed alcohol before trying to drive will have problems with:
their reactions times
their judgement about speed and distance
their field of vision
Your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is a measurement of the amount of alcohol in (...) Read more
Drugs – both those prescribed and those that are illegal - can affect your body in many different ways. They can, therefore, affect your ability to drive causing a range of symptoms, including:
Slow reaction times Tiredness Confusion Hallucinations Paranoia
It is illegal to drive under the influence of drugs as it is just as dangerous as driving whilst under the influence of alcohol.
Anyone needing help with issues relating to drug taking, can visit the Government’s Drug advisory website (...) Read more
It is very dangerous to use your mobile phone whilst driving as it can affect your concentration putting you and other road users in danger.
A driver’s reaction times can be up to 50% slower than normal when they use a mobile phone whilst driving. It is also estimated that you are four times more likely to crash if you use your mobile phone whilst driving.
In the UK, it is against the law to use a hand held mobile phone whilst driving a vehicle or riding a motorbike. Using a hands free (...) Read more
Driving too fast is dangerous – speed contributes to death, injury and a number of road accidents.
It is estimated that for each one mph reduction in average speed, accident frequency is reduced by 5%.
Every driver can make a difference – by just slowing down you can help to stop the number of accidents that happen on the roads in the UK.
You can find out more about speeding and its effects on the Department for Transport’s Think Road Safety website
It is always a good idea to make sure (...) Read more
Unfortunately every year, a number of motorcyclists are killed and injured on our roads. Below are some tips both for safer riding for motorcyclists and avoiding accidents with cyclists for other motorists.
Advice for motorcyclists
Keep within speed limits, but also make sure that you can slow down in good time to avoid accidents Try to anticipate the actions of people in motor vehicles Make sure that it is completely safe before overtaking Make sure that you are easy to see by wearing (...) Read more
Seatbelts are essential for helping to save lives in car accidents. It is estimated that the lives of more that 2000 people are saved every year, just because they wore their seatbelt.
It is not only essential to wear front seat belts but back seat belts are also vital as they reduce the danger that back seat passengers can cause to people sitting in the front of a car.
In the UK, it is a legal requirement for everyone (with only a few exceptions) in a car to wear a seatbelt and it is (...) Read more
Even if you are a safe driver, you may still have an accident if your car is not properly maintained. It is essential that you regularly check:
Bulbs – Make sure that all your lights are working properly and carry spare bulbs in case you need one when you are out in your car. Oil – Keep a regular check on you car’s oil levels Tyres – It is essential to keep you tyres in good working order as it is against the law to have tyres that have tread worn to below 1.6mm or that are over or (...) Read more
If you drive when tired, you run the risk of falling asleep at the wheel and causing an accident that can harm yourself, your passengers and other road users.
Studies have shown that drivers do not just fall asleep at the wheel – they battle with drowsiness first. Opening a window or turning up the radio will not stop drowsiness instead you need to find a safe place to stop the car.
Drivers should try to plan their journeys to make sure they can take a short break every 2 hours. The best (...) Read more
Statistics show that newly qualified drivers are more likely to have an accident than experienced drivers.
When people are learning to drive, it is a legal requirement for them to display L plates and to be accompanied by an adult over 21, who has had their licence for longer than 3 years.
Once you have passed your test, you need to take extra care until you get fully used to driving a car and being on the roads. Learner drivers are not allowed to drive on the motorway, so you need to (...) Read more
