Tips for safe trips this Easter holiday
With the large volume of traffic expected to move through Nkomazi over the next few weeks for the Easter weekend and other public holidays, motorists are encouraged to thoroughly plan and take steps to be safer on the road.
MALALANE – Before you hit the road over Easter weekend, make sure your vehicle is in proper working order. Drivers are urged to ensure that their vehicle’s tyres are still safe to use, and that the wipers and lights are working.
According to Datsun South Africa, there are several non-traditional tips that can make a road trip safe and more enjoyable:
• Stay within the speed limit of 120km/h on the open road
If you do not exceed the speed limit, you have less stress, are be able to react better to unexpected incidents and will not fork over holiday money to pay for speeding fines. You also reduce fuel consumption and wear and tear on your vehicle
• Do not overload your vehicle
Overloading will increase the distance you’ll need to safely brake in case of an emergency and make steering imprecise and more difficult
• Take regular breaks
It is recommended that you take a break every two hours or 200 kilometres. Not only will this help you relax, it will be a great distraction for the kids to keep them from fighting in the car. Stopping at a roadside stall can also be an adventure, a good photo opportunity and are great places to get souvenirs
• Pack a cooler box with snacks
You can save a lot of money and stay healthy by packing snacks for the road instead of buying some every time you stop. Fill a cooler box with fruit, sandwiches, frikkadels, nuts, juice, water and other healthy snacks and beverages. This will also help keep up your energy levels and can avoid children from getting cranky.
Make sure you get enough sleep before heading off and avoid travelling at night. Late-night traffic is usually composed of heavy vehicles and your visibility and reaction time is decreased.
If you will be travelling at peak times, find out how busy the route is expected to be and adjust your travelling time accordingly. Be sure to check whether there are any roadworks or stop-and-go points.
If you will be travelling with children, make sure they have enough things to keep them busy throughout the journey such as storybooks, audiobooks, educational games, music or toys. Remember to pack a car charger for the tablet or phone. For more entertainment ideas, click here.
