Make sure you and your car are ready for the road post-lockdown
GEM Motoring Assist is encouraging drivers to ensure they return to the roads safely as current COVID-19 restrictions are eased. GEM has simple advice for drivers to ensure they stay safe, and tips for keeping their cars in a safe, roadworthy condition.
GEM chief executive Neil Worth commented: “Many people will have reduced or even stopped their road journeys altogether since the most recent lockdown was introduced.
“Now, as restrictions ease and the roads become busier, we encourage drivers to consider their own safety, as well as carry out some basic checks on the car they will be driving – to ensure it’s in the best possible shape.”
Protect yourself
GEM has compiled some simple tips for driver safety:
- Always wear a seatbelt, even on the shortest journeys. And ensure everyone in the car with you wears a seatbelt. Wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of death by 45 per cent for drivers and front seat occupants, and reduces the risk of serious injury by 50 per cent.
- Make a point of always knowing the speed limits, and sticking to them. Inappropriate speed accounts for nearly a quarter of collisions which result in death.
- Get an eye test. Good eyesight is essential for safe driving, so if you haven’t had your eyes checked in the past 12 months, make a point of booking a professional vision test.
- Stay alert, throughout your journey. Banish dangerous distractions such as mobile phones, and ensure you take regular breaks on long journeys.
- Spare a thought for others: be courteous and hold back if it might help another driver, a cyclist, pedestrian or other road user. And if your good turn isn’t acknowledged, don’t bear a grudge.
Look after your car
- Check your oil and screenwash levels. Check your lights are all clean and working. Check the dashboard. If any warning lights stay on, make sure you know what they mean and take the appropriate corrective action (which could mean not driving the car at all).
- Check tyres for tread and pressure. Also, if you haven’t driven for a while, examine the tyre walls to check for any strange lumps or bulges. Anything that doesn’t look right should be checked by a garage as soon as possible.