SAFE TRAVELS
Take our 10 tips to survive the annual holiday traffic snarls with sanity and bank balance intact
The new year break brings major traffic snarls as half the country drives to holiday destinations, making it hard to maintain sanity on the road. Here are our Top 10 survival tips.
ALLOW MORE TIME
After a year spent in commuter gridlock, it’s tempting to think you can average 100km/h on a trip. As you pass road signs giving the distance to the next town, you can find yourself calculating your arrival time.
However, at this time of year there are significantly more vehicles on the road, “pinch points” where traffic grinds to a halt and large sections of coastal highway signposted for 80km/h or less – so you can’t average 100km/h, despite what the satnav tells you.
Here’s a tip: add 50 per cent to the time allowed for your journey – budget seven-and-ahalf hours for what is normally a five-hour drive – or, better still, don’t give yourself a target at all. Hopefully you’ll be less flustered and better able to concentrate.
DRIVE IN DAYLIGHT
Many of us are tempted to leave in the wee hours or drive through the night to beat the traffic. It’s a bad call.
Apart from the disruption to your rest, you also face the added danger of hitting wildlife – on country roads in particular, the animals are out at dawn and dusk to drink from the drainage areas.
If you must drive outside of daylight hours, get plenty of rest beforehand. Staying on 80km/h, even if higher limits are posted, will give you a better chance at avoiding wandering wildlife. If you need to hit the brakes, be sure to pull up in a straight line – swerving could put you in the path of oncoming traffic.
DITCH SUGARY TREATS
So many of us grab a bag of sweets and cans of soft drink but the sugar rush doesn’t last long. Sugar is a credit card for energy and the interest repayments are hefty. Drink water, eat nuts, nibble on fruit – but don’t throw the peel or core out the window. It attracts animals to the side of the road and it’s still considered littering.
PARK YOUR PHONE
Hand over your device to the passenger or set up a playlist before you set off. Let others communicate with the rest of the world so you can get on with the job of driving.
Putting the phone in a cradle attached to the windscreen does not mean you can browse the web or read social media updates.
The law says the phone can be touched only to “take or make a phone call”. Email and social media browsing are not allowed. Most phone use tickets are issued to people checking Facebook or text messages.
GET BELTED
Did you know a passenger can be fined for reclining a seat to have a nap if the seat belt is
not tightly fitted across his or her body? It’s the same as the fine for not wearing one at all.
In most states the tickets are in excess of $300 and attract between three and six demerit points.
Keep the seat upright and the belt properly fitted. Also discourage the front passenger from resting feet on the dash. That’s where the passenger airbag is. In a crash, the airbag can send feet and legs flying, causing serious injury.
DITCH THE THONGS
The most important controls after the steering wheel are the brake and accelerator pedals.
It is not illegal to drive barefoot.
So flick the thongs, slippery sandals or high heels and make sure you have plenty of grip on the pedals.
Also make sure discarded footwear is in the passenger’s footwell, rear seat or the boot, not cluttering the driver’s feet.
DON’T BE A “DAY AFTER” DRINK-DRIVER
You only need to watch an episode of the TV show RBT to realise how many motorists underestimate how long it takes for alcohol to clear your system.
Almost a quarter of drivers nabbed in the holiday season get busted before midday.
Many people do the right thing on the night (or afternoon) before, get a lift home and return to collect their car the next day – only to find they are still over the limit.
Did you know you’re not insured if you crash when you’re over the alcohol limit?
A cab ride is cheaper than being hit with massive insurance and legal bills and/or the risk of losing a job that depends on a driver’s licence.
Police in most states can now test drivers for most types of illegal drugs – ecstasy, methamphetamine, marijuana and cocaine, among others.
It’s also worth remembering some prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines such as antihistamines can make you drowsy and less responsive.
TURN ON THE AIRCON WHEN IT RAINS
When it’s hot and humid, heavy rain can cause car windows to fog up, especially when there are a lot of people on board. Some drivers open the windows but that simply lets in more moisture.
Switch on the airconditioning – on the cold setting – and watch the moisture evaporate and the foggy screen clear.
LIGHT UP
Drive with your headlights on, even during the day, to make it easier for other cars to see you.
It’s especially helpful on dark, tree-lined sections of highway. Some states post signs advising drivers to switch on their headlights during the day in certain areas.
Just make sure they’re not accidentally on high-beam. And remember to turn them off once you’ve reached your destination, so you don’t flatten the battery.
PUMP ‘EM UP
Tyres are boring to most people but, as the only point of contact between you and the road, they could save your life. The advice is simple: make sure they’re properly inflated.
If you can’t find the recommended pressure on the tyre placard in the door frame of your car, or in the owner’s manual, check the fine print on the tyre itself.
Most car tyres are best with between 32 and 36 psi of pressure. Make sure all four are inflated to the same pressure, unless your placard says otherwise.
Not sure if your tyres are legal? The minimum tread depth is 1.6mm across the entire tyre pattern. If it’s worn in the middle or on the edges, it’s illegal and will prove dicey in the wet.
Can’t guess what 1.6mm looks like? Put a match head in the tread.
If you need to change a flat tyre, steer the car slowly ( jogging pace) behind a barrier and/or well away from traffic, find a flat surface and loosen the nuts before using the jack.
Make sure the spare is inflated before you set off or it could turn into a long day.