A safety routine we should all adopt when on our roads!
From road accidents to attacks on your personal safety, a major contributing cause is losing focus, according to experts.
“Helping improve road safety for South Africans is a real corporate concern for us at Europcar SA,” says CEO Dawn Nathan-Jones. “We see how being over-stressed, tired or even just enjoying being away from day-to-day cares can distract any driver. For women, the outcome may be more serious as they’re often perceived as easier targets in personal-safety terms.”
That’s why Nathan-Jones hopes SA’s women will join her in pledging to make every month Women’s Month when it comes to caring about personal safety. To get you started, she’s sharing a favourite safety routine to help SA women keep travelling safely home to family and friends.
“Simply using the word FOCUS will help remind you of a series of basic but essential safety precautions that should become as ingrained as checking your mirrors and indicating before pulling into traffic,” she advises.
Here’s how it works:
FORMULATE your strategy: Avoid being vulnerable by being prepared, keeping your cellphone charged and loaded with airtime. Prevent searches for car keys by keeping them in a specific place in your bag and always have them in your hand before leaving home, the office or the main shopping mall. Keep home or office keys in a habitual slot, too, and have the correct set for your destination with you to avoid searching the boot when you’re parked.
OPERATE your parking smarts: When leaving a building, check the parking area beforehand. Be aware of what’s happening around you as you pay your parking-ticket and find your car. Don’t hang around taking a phone call in the open – let the phone ring, then return the call from inside your car.
CONCEAL your valuables: Stick to the golden rule of stowing handbag, laptop, briefcase, sports bag, shopping and so on in the boot, out of sight. When renting a car, take a few moments when booking to ensure the boot will hold all your luggage.
USE your protection: When you and all passengers are inside the car, lock all doors – always check locking procedures on an unfamiliar rental car. While driving, be forewarned of threatening behaviour by nearby motorists or other road-users by both watching the road ahead and regularly checking all mirrors. When approaching home or your destination, check the street. If anything looks suspicious, drive past to somewhere well lit and phone for clarification or help. Once you’ve arrived smoothly, shut and lock gates before beginning to unload the vehicle.
START making roads safer: When you’re safely home, take a moment to reflect on your road experiences for the day – do you feel lucky to be back with your loved ones? Take the I-Pledge to make a difference to SA’s road-safety record at www.ipledge.co.za. Follow the campaign @IPledgeZA on Twitter and go to the Facebook page to record your observations of people running their office from their car, driving drunk or using their cellphone, indulging in road rage, not wearing a seatbelt, speeding, or jumping amber and red robots. You’ll feel a glow of pride that safer roads start with you.