WE’VE all heard that old Bing Crosby Christmas song, “I’ll be home for Christmas”, a poignant reminder to us all of the importance of being amongst family at such a special time of year.
However the reality is that during the Christmas period, many lives are lost on Australian roads leaving countless families and friends devastated as they start to plan a funeral rather than celebrating around the Christmas tree.
As well as fatalities, there’s also the devastating impact of road trauma.
Research shows that for every one death on the road, 30 people are hospitalised, with estimates that approximately 35,000 people are seriously injured each year in crashes on our nations roads.
So, as we head into the festive season, Road Safety Education Limited (RSE), the leading road safety education organisation and the provider of the RYDA program, urges us all to “Drive So Others Survive” and use the words from various Christmas carols to help get us home safely.
God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen (and women!)… Don’t let yourself drive if you’re feeling very tired, as fatigue can cause you to lose concentration on the road. Fatigue is suspected to be the primary cause of more than 20% of road fatalities. If you are on the road and you start to yawn, your eyes feel heavy or your concentration is waning, pull over and take a 15 minute power nap.
We wish you a Merry Christmas… – but not too merry… We’ve all heard the statistics and campaigns around drink driving in this country. Whilst the legal limit of alcohol in your system on the road is 0.05 in most cases, your best bet is to avoid drinking alcohol altogether if you plan on driving the family around at Christmas time.
Alcohol impairs your judgement, gives you slower reaction times, causes fatigue and if over the limit, you may end up with fines and loss of your license, or worse – causing serious injury to you, your family and others on the road.
Silent Night …. The possibility of road crashes increases at night, due to visibility issues, fatigue and wildlife. If you are travelling at night and your car breaks down, ensure that you put your hazard lights on so that you’re visible to oncoming traffic.
Do you hear what I hear? …. Hopefully you are not hearing the sound of your mobile phone – a major distraction in a vehicle. Being distracted increases your chances of having a crash. It slows down your reaction times and puts you in danger of failing to see hazards such as traffic lights, stop signs or other road users, including pedestrians and bicycle riders. This Christmas put your phone in the glove box and drive safely!
Find lots of great safety tips visit Road Safety Education at rse.org,au
Because after all, all your family really want for Christmas…. Is you!
