If you’re looking forward to some road trips this summer, make sure they go smoothly!
Read on for top tips from Travel Safe Bucks to make sure you and your vehicle are ready for the road - and avoid breakdowns and accidents.
We’ve got everything you need to know about pre-travel checks, the rules around eyesight and medication, how to avoid fatigue-related collisions, and what to do if you do break down.
Pre-travel checks
Before you travel
Planning a successful road trip isn’t as easy as it might sound, even if you’re staying in the UK.
You’ve got to make sure you’ve packed everything you need, you and your vehicle are fit for a long journey… and your party is still speaking to each other by the end of it!
Read on for our top tips on how to prepare for a road trip to avoid delays, breakdowns and accidents.
1 to 2 months before you travel
You should:
- book a car service and MOT if you’re due one
- get your eyes tested if it’s been 2 years or you’re worried about your sight
- check with your GP or pharmacist that your medication is safe for driving
The week before you travel
You should:
- plan your route, rest breaks and sharing driving if possible
- update your sat-nav maps
- carry out pre-road trip car maintenance checks including lights, tyre pressure and tread, and coolant, oil and windscreen washer levels
- check any children still fit within the weight and height limits for their car seats
- collect essential road trip items like loose change, first aid kit and torch
- refresh yourself on what to do if you break down
The day before you travel
You should:
- check roadworks and weather conditions
- rest before travelling especially if travelling at night or early in the morning
Don’t forget the tunes - and entertainment for the kids.
Setting off
You should:
- remember glasses, contact lenses and sunglasses if needed
- ensure all car seats and seat belts are positioned correctly
- remember drinks and snacks
- ensure car packed safely with no loose luggage
- check live traffic information
Eyesight and medication
Eyesight
If your eyes are not roadworthy, you might miss crucial things on the road, including pedestrians, cyclists, signals, road markings and signs.
Driving without having your eyes regularly tested doesn’t just put you at risk but those around you too. Eyesight can naturally worsen over time, so make sure you have regular eye tests, at least every 2 years, or more often if your optician advises this.
If you’re concerned about your vision, don’t wait for your next eye appointment – book a test with your optician as soon as you can. If you don’t meet the minimum eyesight standard, you must stop driving and tell DVLA.
It is required by law that all drivers must be able to read – with glasses or contact lenses, if necessary – a car number plate from 20 metres away. This is the equivalent of five car lengths. Find out more about driving eyesight rules.
There are a few common issues you might encounter with your eyesight.
Glare: As we age it can take longer to recover from glare caused by low sun or oncoming headlights, for example. This can cause visibility issues when driving in the early evening or at night. If this is an issue for you then avoid driving at night and ensure lights, windscreen and glasses are clean and clear. Slow down, if dazzled, and use the sun visor.
Peripheral vision: By the time we reach our 70s we may have lost between 20 and 30 degrees of our peripheral vision. This can cause problems when emerging at junctions and changing lanes.
Cataracts: Cataracts can cause significant driving impairment, especially at night. The eye lens becomes cloudy, leading to blurred vision and sensitivity to glare, however cataract surgery can solve these problems.
You must tell the DVLA if you have any problems with your eyesight that affects either eyes, or the remaining eye if you only have one eye.
Find out more about other common eyesight problems and their effect on your driving.
Medication
One in six UK drivers admit to ignoring warnings that medication can cause side effects that could impair their driving ability, or not even checking labels for these warnings. You might only have taken something as simple as a hay fever tablet, but some of these can leave you feeling drowsy.
Don’t take the risk. Driving under the influence of any kind of medication that can impair your driving not only puts you at risk but also other road users around you.
Always check whether you’re safe to drive whilst using any medication you might be taking. If it’s prescribed by a doctor, they should advise you, but if they don’t, remember to ask!
Even if you’re taking legal drugs, if you’re taking more than the prescribed amount and it is impairing your driving, you can face a number of penalties. These include:
- a minimum 1 year driving ban
- an unlimited fine
- up to six months in prison
- a criminal record
Your driving licence will also show you’ve been convicted for drug driving. This will last for 11 years.
There are now nine “legal drugs” (prescription or over-the-counter drugs) which have drug drive limits. Make sure you’re aware of these, as it is illegal to drive with legal drugs in your body if it impairs your driving.
Driving tired and breakdowns
Driving tired
10 to 20% of all crashes are thought to be related to driver fatigue so do plan carefully when going on longer journeys.
You should:
- plan in rest stops at least every 2 hours for 15 minutes
- share the driving if you can
- rest before you travel and think carefully about what time to travel
- be on the look out for ‘head nod’ or yawning
- pack drinks and refreshments
Did you know that the peak times for fatigue-related crashes are within the hours of 2am and 6am, and 2pm and 4pm when drivers are naturally more sleepy? Drivers at 6am are 20 times more likely to fall asleep at the wheel than at 10am.
Plan in breaks at least every 2 hours for 15 minutes for longer journeys. If you start to yawn – or, more dangerously, ‘head nod’ – then pull over as soon as you can. A tired driver who kills someone can be charged with death by dangerous driving or death by careless driving.
If you’re setting off on an early journey, make sure you get a good night’s sleep, going to bed as early as you can to get between 6-8 hours.
There are a number of factors that contribute to driver tiredness and can increase the risk of being involved in a fatigue related collision. Some of these include:
- lack of sleep or disturbed sleep
- time of day
- stress
- irregular sleep patterns
- driving for long periods
- vehicle engineering (modern cars are quiet and comfortable, making the driver more relaxed!)
- medication
Driving tired doesn’t just put you at risk, it puts other road users at risk too.
Motorway breakdowns – go left, get safe, get help
If you are unlucky enough to experience a problem with your vehicle, or you get into trouble on a motorway, stay calm and try to exit at the next junction or motorway service area.
Find out more about how to react to your vehicle breaking down on a motorway.
If it's not possible to exit at the next junction or service area:
- put your left indicators on
- move into the left lane
- enter the next emergency area, or hard shoulder
- put your hazard lights on
- get behind a safety barrier where there is one - keep well away from moving traffic
- call National Highways on 0300 123 5000, then a breakdown provider for help