For New drivers, young drivers – (especially first time drivers who bought cars this year) and are planning to drive to the village this Christmas….
A car is very forgiving in city speeds and you will hardly notice any faults as the car will not be subjected to extreme physical conditions of highway speeds, for this reason I will put down what is not taught in driving schools.(nowadays)
1) Service your car – a must.
Replace worn tyres, replace cv joints, suspension bushes, tie rods, rack ends. Go for alignment and camber adjustment.
To avoid common highway breakdowns, check your battery, check your belts, check your lights, check your indicators.
Most of all: check your spare tyre!!!!
2) Do not overload your car
Every adult you carry must be seated and belted.
No standing kids – especially those that like to stand kids behind the dashboard – he/she will be severely injured even in a 30kph accident.
3) Do not speed / compete with other drivers.
Give way even when you have right of way.
The first rule of the road is also the one that will ensure you arrive alive.
4) Don’t overtake in a herd – a common habit.
That because you can’t see the front of a long line, you swing to the right when everyone else does so – you will find yourself under the axle of a 22 wheeler trying to get back in lane.
Don’t overtake on blind corners, in heavy rain or whenever you don’t have a clear view of at least 500mtrs ahead of the front vehicle.
5) If your vehicle breaks down. Don’t have your family stand next to the vehicle while you repair with half your butt on the highway. If it is a catastrophic failure and you cant move, have them stand 20 metres away into the bush.
– Do not place your triangle 2 metres behind your car!!!!!!!!!!
Place it at a minimum of 30 metres from where your car has stalled.
– Do not place a tyre on the road.. a sleeping driver will hit it, his front wheels lose contact with the road and he runs into you..
6) Avoid using the aircon. (especially in the low end models) because most have no pollen filters or effective dust filters.. your village visit will become a miserable flu filled ordeal.
7) Stop and sleep if you feel sleepy at any point. Not pouring cold water over your face!
8) For those going to extreme ends of the country. Purchase simple puncture repair kits and mini compressors (a small investment of less than 5k) to avoid spending hours in dangerous and unfamiliar places.
9) Carry light foods in case major accidents cause blockage and you have to spend hours in the car while you wait for the blockage to be cleared. Especially so if you have kids.
10) Familiarize yourself with emergency medical/accident life saving procedures that you or another adult in your entourage can carry out while waiting for help.
Even kids should have on them emergency numbers.
11) If you find an accident on the road with no help in sight, stop to help.. don’t just take pictures to post on your page. Those 5 minutes of your attention might be the difference between someone living or dying.
12) Avoid unnecessary aggression on the road, it will change your judgement and distract you from the matter at hand.
13) Drive slow. Its a holiday, not an emergency.
Give every action a second thought. Train yourself to be patient and calm in all situations.
14 If another driver shouts Ngombe or Elephant please don’t shout back these animals could be few metres towards where you are heading.
15.Don’t be fooled by a pregnant woman and a man trying to ask for help, they could be crooks
16.If you are driving in a foreign land kindly know their rules
