Don’t give in to distractions
December in KwaZulu-Natal is often synonymous with holidays in the sun and road accidents.
Every year, thousands of South Africans lose their lives in the province due to collisions and other vehicle incidents. Speed, alcohol and overloading are often major factors in causing these accidents. However, although an accident is sometimes an accident, South Africans need to start thinking on the roads.
Driving can become an automatic action for many of us, like walking. We are also distracted from the task of driving by music, cellphones and people in the car. South Africans need to start thinking while they are driving.
Start paying more attention to cars in front of and behind you, and anticipate what they might do next. Keep a safe distance between you and the car in front you, thinking about the possibility that they might suddenly brake (especially higher vehicles and trucks, where you can’t see what is in front of them).
Think about threats caused by the road, like blind rises and steep hills. Anticipate that people sometimes overtake on a blind rise – slow down as you approach it. Anticipate that cars and trucks gain speed down a hill, which limits your time to overtake a car as you come up the hill.
Think about the music that you play in your car – fast, loud music increase your heart rate and the speed at which you drive.
