More than 14 000 people are killed in accidents on South Africa’s roads every year. With this in mind, ER24 would like to offer South Africans a few simple tips for when they are traveling on long car journeys:
- Wear your seatbelt, and make sure everyone else in the car is wearing theirs.
- Do not speed or overtake recklessly - it’s better to get there slowly than not at all.
- Use daytime running lights (i.e. switch your headlights on) as this remarkably increases your visibility to other vehicles.
- Do not drive when you are tired, and follow these tips to stay awake:
- Do not drink alcohol or take drugs, not even prescription drugs that can make you drowsy, before or during a journey.
- Do not eat heavily before or during a journey, the process of digestion encourages sleep.
- Eat a light meal and rest well before a journey. Do not set off on an empty stomach, you need to be comfortable to concentrate.
- Adjust your seat if necessary, and ensure that your driving position is comfortable.
- Don't wear tight clothing. When you sit for long periods of time, your ankles and stomach tend to swell, causing discomfort.
- If you are driving in direct sunshine, wear sunglasses. Glare strains the eyes and adds to fatigue. Do not however, wear tinted glasses after dark. Although they help reduce the dazzle of oncoming headlights they restrict your ability to see dimly lit objects.
- Make sure your car is well ventilated.
- If possible, alternate driving with someone.
- Make regular stops. It is advisable to stop every 2 hours or 200km.
- When you take a break, make sure you go for a stroll to exercise cramped limbs and pep up circulation.
- Save ER24’s emergency number, 084 124, onto your cell phone.
- Save the contact details of your Next of Kin into your cell phone under I.C.E. (In Case of Emergency) in the phone directory, which makes your next of kin easily identifiable on your phone.
- Make sure that everyone in the car knows where the family medical aid details are, so that, should you be injured in an accident, they will be able to supply them.
- Collect an ER24 sticker for your car from your nearest ER24 branch before you leave on your journey, so that if you are in an accident anyone at the accident scene will know who to call.
