Take Action - Practical Tips

Practical tips and helpful advice 'share your personal experiences

Do your kids put their lives and the lives of others at risk?

Your children copy you throughout life, regarding almost everything you do; when your teenagers are learning to drive they pick up all your habits and techniques. Teach them to drive responsibly'Step in. Take action!

In order to make sure your young drivers are responsible, you should set a good example;

Always wear a seatbelt, even on short journeys.
Always ensure all passengers are belted up before setting off.
Never drink and drive.
Check your speed and watch out for speed limit signs.
Always leave plenty of time for your journey so you won't be tempted to rush.
If you're late, pull over somewhere safe and phone ahead, and take the rest of your journey easy.
Take extra care in towns and villages, especially when children may be about.
On many rural roads the 60mph limit is far too fast for safety. You never know what's round the corner so slow right down for bends.
Stay calm when you drive. If you become stressed while driving, find a safe place to pull over and compose yourself before continuing your journey.
Never use a mobile phone while driving, not even a hands-free ' it's the conversation that's the main distraction and no conversation is more important than a life.
Stay focused on the road. Kids in the car can be distracting, so make sure they know it's dangerous to distract the driver.
If you're buying a new car for you or your young driver, log on to http://www.euroncap.com/ for information on which cars are best designed to protect you and your family.

Fact

The statistics speak for themselves;

A survey of nearly 4,500 young people in the UK found that:

A third (32%) have driven or been a passenger in a road race
One in five (21%) drive after drinking alcohol
Almost one in ten (9%) drive on illegal drugs
Almost half (45%) break 30mph limits by 10mph or more. Of these, three-fifths (59%) are male
One in five (19%) young drivers has overtaken at speed when they are unsure of what is coming in the other direction. Of these, seven out of 10 (71%) are male.

*Facts taken from www.brake.org.uk - www.brake.org.uk/assets/docs/Whatshappening/consultation_on_learning_to_drive_08-10-08.doc.