KDS Road Safety Message (Part 2)

 To See Part One of the KDS Group Christmas 2009 Road Safety Message Click Here

(6) If you do break down:

• If you get into trouble, stay with your vehicle if possible, until help arrives.
• If you do have to leave your vehicle, make yourself visible to others.
• If you have to abandon your vehicle, give local police the details and park safely to avoid obstruction to maintenance vehicles such as snow ploughs when they are trying to treat the roads.

(7) Advice for particular weather conditions:

Fog is especially a danger in autumn and winter, and is a major cause of collisions.
• Slow down, keep your distance, and turn your lights on in fog.
• Drive very slowly using dipped headlights. Use fog lights if visibility is seriously reduced, but remember to switch them off when visibility improves.
• Don't hang on the tail lights of the vehicle in front - this gives you a false sense of security and means you may be driving too close.
• Don't speed up suddenly - even if it seems to be clearing, you can suddenly find yourself back in thick fog.
Ice, snow and slush drastically reduce the ability of your tyres to grip the road, which means that slowing down, speeding up, or changing direction all become hazardous. The trick to driving in these conditions is to be as smooth as possible.
• Drive slowly, allowing extra room to slow down and stop.
• It can take ten times longer to stop in icy conditions than on a dry road.
• Use the highest gear possible to avoid wheel spin, manoeuvre gently, and avoid harsh braking and acceleration.
• To brake on ice and snow without locking your wheels, get into a low gear earlier than normal, allow your speed to fall, and use the brake pedal gently.
• If you skid, ease off the accelerator but do not brake suddenly.

Floods:

It is best not to enter floodwater at all - if you can take an alternative route, do so. If you enter floodwater:
• Drive slowly in first gear, but keep the engine speed high by slipping the clutch - this will stop you from stalling.
• Go through the water one vehicle at a time.
• Avoid the deepest water, which is generally near the kerb. Don't attempt to cross if the water seems too deep. Watch others!
• Remember - test your brakes a few times after you are through the flood before you drive at normal speed.

REMEMBER:

• Be sure to give cyclists and motorcyclists extra room in bad weather.
• Dazzle from the low winter sun can be dangerous. Carry a pair of sunglasses in the car just in case it's too low for the visor.
• It takes twice as long to stop on a wet road as it does on a dry one, and up to ten times longer in icy conditions.
 

Posted by Stevie Kidd on 22 December 2009 in : Road Safety

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