SAFETY: SMARTER CHOICES MAKE THE ROADS SAFER

& DRUGS Drink

DRINK, DRUGS AND driving don’t mix. Fortunately young people tend to drink less than their parents. According to a recent survey, just one-in-ten see getting drunk as “cool”. Four-in-ten see it as “pathetic” or “embarrassing”.

So, if your mates think you’re an idiot as you stagger home from the pub, imagine how they’ll react if you reach for your car keys? Most drivers, young or old, wouldn’t dream of drinking and driving. But there’s still a core of offenders who think they will get away with it, or simply don’t care. And their recklessness led to an estimated 230 deaths in 2019, according to government statistics.

Drug driving is just as serious. Driving with more than the specified level of 17 legal and illegal drugs is against the law. Even small quantities could put you over the limit, and might interfere with medicines used to try to save your life if you crash.

DRINK & THE LAW

The maximum permitted level of blood alcohol while driving in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. In Scotland it’s 50mg/100ml.

Even small amounts of alcohol will affect your driving, and it’s easy to be over the limit the morning after a night out. So the best advice is to avoid alcohol completely if you are driving. Get caught over the limit, and you could face... ✪ six months in prison ✪ an unlimited fine ✪ a driving ban for at

least a year.

Seat BELTS

EVERYONE WEARS A seat belt, don’t they? Surely it’s a no-brainer.

Well, most drivers and passengers do. Government stats show that... ✪ 99% of us put on belts

when we drive

✪ 93% of front-seat

passengers wear a seat belt

✪ 90% of rear-seat

passengers put on a belt.

The problem is, that still leaves a minority of people who don’t bother to belt up. And there are serious consequences. Take a look at the stats for car occupant fatalities, and you’ll find 27% weren’t wearing a belt when they died. That’s over 200 people per year who might still be alive if they had put on their seat belt.

It’s not just you who could be hurt if you don’t wear a belt. If you are in a crash at 30mph, your body will hit whatever’s in front of it at a force that’s 30-60 times your own body weight – the same force as a charging rhino.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking an airbag will do the seat belt’s job. Airbags are a supplementary restraint system – it’s the seat belt which they supplement.

The seat belt is probably the single most effective piece of safety equipment in any car, credited with saving more than a million lives worldwide. Why wouldn’t you wear one?

SEAT BELTS &THE LAW

You must wear a seat belt if one is fitted in the seat you are using. There are a handful of exceptions but they are unlikely to apply to you. As a driver, you are also responsible for making sure any child under 14 is wearing a seat belt or travelling in a suitable child seat, depending on their age and height.

PASS THE PRACTICAL test, and you can give your mates a lift. It really is a great feeling, especially if you are one of the first in your circle of friends to pass. Why wouldn’t you be proud of your full driving licence and the skills you have learned?

But all too easily, pride can get the better of you. With the confidence a full licence brings, and no highly trained instructor or watchful parent keeping an eye on your driving, it can be tempting to let speeds creep up, to brake later, or corner harder.

Think twice, though. You’re more likely to scare your

SHOWINGoff friends than impress them. The National Travel Attitudes Study 2019 shows that a massive 82% of people think it’s never acceptable to speed even slightly on residential streets. So driving quickly and aggressively is going to make you look irresponsible and immature. Here are just some of the reasons why showing off behind the wheel is a bad idea... ✪ You could lose your

licence. Driving without due care and attention covers things like driving too close to the car in front or overtaking on the inside. It could lead to between three and nine penalty points, and six is enough to say goodbye to your licence in your first two years on the road.

✪ You could lose money or

even your car. The fine for driving without due care and attention may be up to £2500. Persistent offenders could have their car seized.

✪ You could lose your

friends. Not only could you alienate the very people you are trying to impress, showing off could cost a friend their life. More young females are killed as passengers than drivers...

Vulnerable ROAD USERS

THE DAY YOU get behind the wheel with your full driving licence, you’ll probably feel like the king or queen of the road.

Good for you. Passing your test is a big achievement. Just remember, once you are a fully qualified driver the roads don’t suddenly belong to you. Other road users have the right to use the road too. That includes bikers, cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians.

It’s important to share road space with all user groups, especially as vulnerable users are, well, vulnerable. Hit a cyclist with your 1.5-tonne metal box and it’s going to hurt them more than it hurts you.

THE RIGHT (AND WRONG) WAY TO DRIVE AROUND VULNERABLE ROAD USERS

DO... overtake wide and slow, when you can see far enough ahead to do so safely. Give cyclists and horse riders plenty of room (at least 1.5 metres for cyclists and 2 metres for horses). Be especially careful with horses, overtaking at low speed then accelerating gently. Search ‘Dead Slow Road Safety BHS’ on YouTube to find videos giving great advice about overtaking horses. Type in ‘Too Close For Comfort Virtual Reality’ to find a film that gives a cyclist’s perspective on being overtaken. DO... use the ‘Dutch reach’ when getting out of your car. This road safety technique involves opening a car door with the opposite hand (so the left hand opens the driver’s door, not the right hand). Having to twist around to open the door turns the head and upper body towards the road, encouraging the driver to look out for cyclists. DON’T... assume other road users have seen you. In particular, look out for elderly pedestrians and children. Slow down, and be ready to stop. DON’T... be impatient if you feel you are being held up. Drivers are sometimes annoyed if cyclists use the road rather than a nearby cycle path, but cyclists are entitled to be on the road. Everyone deserves to get from A to B safely and without intimidation.

SPEEDING

YOUNG DRIVERS MAY have a rep for speeding, but that’s not entirely fair. Drivers aged 35-44 are the ones who are caught and convicted the most, far more than drivers aged 17-24. What’s more, the chances are new drivers will have a telematics insurance policy, which means a higher premium for those who regularly drive too fast. So, be like most young drivers, and respect the limit. Better still, remember that it’s a limit not a target.

Your driving instructor has probably spoken to you about ‘appropriate’ speed. You need to drive at a speed that’s appropriate for the conditions. Thick fog, heavy rain or other hazards could mean an ‘appropriate’ speed is well below the legal maximum. There are times when obeying the letter of the law isn’t enough to keep you safe.

A little more speed can make a big difference. Could you live with yourself if driving too fast led to a fatal crash? At 35mph a driver is twice as likely to kill someone as they are at 30mph. THE TRUE COST OF SPEEDING

REASONS TO DRIVE AT A SAFE SPEED

✪ You’ll save money.

Sticking to the limit burns less fuel.

✪ You’ll pay less for

insurance. Driving at a sensible speed will reduce your premium if you have a black box policy.

✪ You’ll keep your

licence. Rack up six points for speeding offences in your first two years on the road (or any other illegal driving) and your licence will be gone.

REASONS TO SPEED

✪ You might arrive at

the back of the next queue of traffic a few seconds sooner. Really, that’s it. Not much of a reason, is it?

TIREDNESS

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, fatigue is thought to be a bigger contributor to injury and death on the roads than drug-driving. Around 20% of collisions are reckoned to be fatigue-related, and up to a quarter of fatal and serious accidents.

Fall asleep at the wheel, and you won’t brake or steer away from danger. You’ll go on to hit something – another car, a brick wall, or maybe a pedestrian – without slowing down at all. It only takes a moment. If you nod off on the motorway for just six seconds you’ll have travelled nearly 200 metres.

It’s not just falling asleep completely that can cause an accident. If you are drowsy, you’ll make worse decisions and will react more slowly to hazards. Some studies suggest driving while tired is just as bad as driving while just over the drink-drive limit.

You wouldn’t drive drunk, so why drive tired?

A quick coffee or an energy drink might wake you up for a while, but when the effect wears off you’ll end up feeling more tired than you did before. So if you are really tired, the safest thing you can do is stop and rest. A nap of around 10-20 minutes should help. Better to arrive late than to not arrive at all.

FIVE WAYS TO BEAT FATIGUE

1Get a good night’s rest before a long journey.

2Avoid alcohol. Even

if it is clear of your system by the time you drive it reduces the quality of sleep. If it’s still in your system the combination of fatigue and drink can be deadly.

3Take regular breaks.

Stop for a breather every two hours.

4Share the driving.

Short-term insurance from companies like Cuvva.com, Dayinsure. com and Veygo.com make it easy to arrange quick cover so a mate can take a turn behind the wheel.

5Don’t drive late at

night or in the early hours of the morning.

DISTRACTIONS

THE BLEEP OF A TEXT, loud music, your mate messing around in the passenger seat – sometimes there’s a lot going on that can distract the driver.

Not all distractions are against the law. Using a handheld mobile phone is illegal, banter with your best friend is not. But anything that takes your attention away from the road is dangerous.

Other people are one of the biggest distractions of all. Believe it or not, young drivers are up to five times more likely to crash when they have two or more passengers in the car.

If you are driving, make sure you stay focused. And if you’re the passenger, don’t mess around. Let the driver concentrate on driving.

FIVE WAYS TO AVOID DISTRACTIONS

1 Switch your phone to ‘do not disturb’ mode. This will hold calls and texts for when driving is over. 2 Keep the volume down and set the music playing before you set off so you won’t need to use the controls. 3 Set the sat nav destination before leaving. Rely more on voice instructions rather than staring at the screen, so you keep your eyes on the road. 4 Stop to eat and drink. Don’t snack at the wheel. 5 Talk later. Save in-depth conversations for when the journey is over.

HOW YOU CAN BE PHONE SAFE

A ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode will hold your calls and texts. ANDROID PHONE Go into settings and enable ‘do not disturb’. It’s on all phones with Google 6.0 or later. IPHONE If you are running iOS 11 or later, turn on ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’. Go to Settings, Control Centre, then Customise Controls.

YOU’RE DRIVING WHEN the phone rings. You know you shouldn’t pick it up but it’s your best mate calling. You reach down to answer and... your licence is gone. Get caught using a handheld mobile for any reason and you face six points and a £200 fine. For a driver in their first couple of years on the road that’s enough for you to lose your licence.

There’s another scenario that’s even more serious. Maybe it’s a pedestrian rather than a police officer around the next corner. They step out into the road and you don’t see them in time because you’re on your phone.

Most drivers have the sense The law treats handheld calls differently from handsfree, but the University of Sussex has found that it’s the conversation rather than holding the phone to your ear that takes your mind away from driving. So while a hands-free call may be legal, that doesn’t make it safe.

Anything that allows a phone to take your attention

to leave their phone alone while driving. According to the RAC Report on Motoring, some 77% don’t make handheld calls HANDHELD VS HANDSNFREE away from the road is a no-no. That includes... ✪ hands-free calls as

well as handheld

✪ checking a text ✪ catching up on social

media

✪ playing music. It’s better to put the phone down. When you drive, just drive.

MOBILEPhones (although hands-free calls are also a dangerous distraction). Be part of the safe majority, not the reckless minority.

MOTORWAYdrivingIf you’re terrified by the prospect of motorway driving, there’s nothing to fear. Motorways are our safest roads. And recent changes to the law mean you can now take lessons on the motorway before your practical test so long as you are with your ADI and in a car with dual controls.

LORRY

You can drive at 70mph on the motorway, but articulated lorries have a lower limit. As a result, they can take ages to overtake each other, so if you come up behind one already in lane two, prepare to go into the outside lane to pass it.

SLIP ROADS

Once you’re on the slip road to join or leave a motorway, you’re committed to keep going. It’s an offence to turn around, so if you’ve made a mistake you’ll have to keep going and get back on course later on.

5

KEY STEPS TO STAYING SAFE

1Make sure that you’ve got plenty of fuel before you get on the motorway. Service stops can be few and far between and you don’t want to run out of fuel – even if you’ve got breakdown cover. Fuel is also much more costly on the motorway, so you don’t want to be forced to shop there as the chances are you’ll end up paying much more than you need to.

2As you get to the end of the slip road to join the motorway, match your speed to the traffic in the inside lane. Slot between any vehicles already in the inside lane; they’ll hopefully make room for you but they do have right of way. You don’t want to stop at the end of the slip road; then you’ll have to start off from a standstill...

STUDS

Reflective markers separate the lanes from each other (white ones), the slip road (green) the hard shoulder (red) and the central reservation (orange).

You should treat overtaking on the motorway the same as anywhere else. That means you check it’s clear, signal, then pull out to overtake. There’s no rush to get past, but once you’ve overtaken make sure you pull back in.

Usually, the first sign for a junction is a mile before it, the next is at the half-mile point. A mile sounds a lot, but if you’re in the outside lane at the half-mile point, you might not be able to get across in time if it’s busy. Miss your junction and you’ll have to go to the next...

LANE HOGGING

Motorways can have anywhere between two and five lanes on each side of the central reservation. Unless overtaking, you should be in the inside lane. Lane hog and you risk a fine as you’re obstructing other traffic.

BREAKING DOWN

If you break down on a motorway you must move to the hard shoulder. Get as far to the left as possible, get out of the car and stay away from it, ideally behind a crash barrier and wearing a hi-vis jacket.

MARKERS

At every junction there are three markers, counting down to the exit. The first is at 300 yards, the second at 200 yards and the third at 100 yards. If you’re leaving the motorway, be in the inside lane before the 300-yard marker, then start signalling as you pass it.

3If you break down, make sure you know where you are. There are emergency phones every mile with markers every 100 yards that give you the direction to the nearest phone. These phones will instantly tell the control centre where you are, including which direction you’re travelling. If you don’t have breakdown cover you’ll have to pay to be recovered – and it won’t be cheap.

4You’ll have to change lanes correctly if you want to make progress, so you’ll be pulling out to overtake then back in again. Before you make any move, check over your shoulder to ensure you’re not cutting anyone up, and don’t forget to signal before changing lane.

5When you come to leave the motorway, ease off the gas before you leave the inside lane. Then start braking gradually as soon as you’re on the slip road; you’ve got a lot of speed to scrub off and you don’t want to get to the end of the slip road to find you’re still doing 50mph; it’ll suddenly seem very fast...

TIMEPenalty

Notch up six points within two years of passing your test and you’ll be banned from driving. This 24-month span is called the probationary period, and it applies to anyone gaining a new licence, regardless of age. Get points on your licence and your insurance will go up, so don’t do any of these things or you’ll pay the price…

THE PENALTIES

!RUN A RED LIGHT: Three points, £100 fine.

!SPEEDING: At least three points plus a £100 fine. Serious speeding offenders can face a fine of £1000 (or £2500 for speeding on the motorway).

!DRINK OR DRUG DRIVING: This offence leads to an obligatory ban, jail for up to six months and an unlimited fine. A second offence within ten years means a driving ban of at least three years.

!FAIL TO STOP AT A ZEBRA CROSSING: Most pedestrian crossing offences are dealt with by a Fixed Penalty Notice, with three points and a £100 fine, but the penalty could be £1000. ! DEFECTIVE TYRES: If they’re flat, bald or damaged, you can get a £2500 fine and three points – for each faulty tyre.

!NOT IN PROPER CONTROL: Includes eating, smoking, drinking or being otherwise distracted: three points, a fine of at least £100, and possibly a ban.

!USING A HAND-HELD MOBILE: Six points plus a £200 fine. Put up a fight in court and lose and you could be fined £1000. You may also be banned.

!FAILING TO STOP AFTER ACCIDENT: Cause personal injury, and you must give your details, then report the incident to the police. Otherwise you face 5-10 points and a hefty fine. You could be banned and spend as long as six months in prison.

!DANGEROUS DRIVING: If convicted of dangerous driving by a Crown Court, you could face an unlimited fine and/or two years in jail.

!NO INSURANCE: At the very least, a £300 fine and six points.

!DRIVING WHILE BANNED: If caught driving while disqualified you can be jailed for up to six months, fined an unlimited amount, and you will almost certainly have the length of the ban extended.

CUT OUT AND KEEPAccident checklist Nobody wants to crash, but make sure you’ve got this page handy just in case, along with a pen and sheet of paper. If it all goes pear-shaped, just follow the instructions. FIRST:

■ Stop and warn other road users of the incident. If anybody has failed to stop, take their registration number or a description (make, model, colour). Even just a partial registration number may be of use. ■ Switch on your hazard lights and, if possible, move the vehicles to a safe place. Assess any injuries and offer first aid if you can. If anyone has been injured, contact the police or ambulance service straight away. ■ Call the police if there’s debris on the road or an obstruction to traffic; don’t put yourself in danger making the crash scene safe. Call the police if any other driver is aggressive or uncooperative.

ACCIDENT INFORMATION:

OTHER VEHICLES:

DAMAGE TO VEHICLES:

YOUR DETAILS:

Date: Time:

Weather conditions (low sun, foggy, raining, sunny): Road conditions (wet, dry, muddy): Road where accident occurred: Brief description of what happened, using a diagram if it helps:

NOTE: If more than one other vehicle is involved, make sure you collect their details too.

NOTE: Fill this section in right away, so in the event of an accident, you can simply tear it out and hand it over.

Registration:

Make & model: Driver’s name: Description of driver: Number of occupants in car: Driver’s contact number: Car’s insurer: Insurer’s contact number: Colour:

Policy no:

YOUR VEHICLE OTHER VEHICLE Take photos of the scene, the cars involved and any other damage – photograph from every angle you can.

Name: Make: Contact number: Model: Car registration: Colour:

Insurer: Policy no:

Insurer’s contact number: I confirm that all details on this sheet are to the best of my knowledge, correct and accurate:

You: Other driver:

Signed:

Date: Signed:

Date:

■ Don’t admit liability – even if you think it was your fault. If you do, it’ll only cause problems later on. ■ Don’t put yourself in danger to make the area safe – call the police and stay out of the way of any moving traffic. ■ Don’t leave any valuables in your car if you have to leave it at the scene – damaged cars are often looted. ■ If you have a dash cam, offer the footage to your insurer and the police if they are involved. 115firstcar.co.uk ■ Contact the police – even if you think the accident is only minor, they will have it on their records if any dispute arises. ■ Contact your insurance company as soon as possible after the accident – and certainly within 24 hours.