TBT 52 : English – The Festive Season and Road Safety – 18 December 2015 The Festive Season and Road Safety: Release No. 2 – 2015/16 Enjoy The Festivities With Your Family and Friends It is only possible to celebrate if we are alive and well. We and our families / friends must not be involved in road accidents at this time, nor at any time. The HSSE Community wishes you and your family happy celebrations if you are observing the Festive Season. Two Vital Elements To Safe Road Use – Safe Vehicles and Safe Driving Behaviour It is not enough to simply warn ourselves by saying “please drive safely” or “adhere to the traffic rules”. Drivers require practical advise on what to do before and during their journeys. In our second Toolbox Talk issue about the Festive Season and Road Safety, we discuss two important elements that are necessary to make your road use safe – the vehicle and your behavior. If You Must Go By Road, Use A Safe Vehicle If we must make the journey by road, a safe vehicle is our first control to prevent accidents. A safe vehicle will have good brakes, a functional steering system, sufficient engine power, tyres that are not worn out, working lights and signals, etc. It will also meet the legal requirements of the country. For example, it will have the necessary reflective stripping and speed-limiting devices fitted in accordance with the local traffic regulations of your country. Our standards for compliant vehicles for company business require us to have Safe Driving Behaviour Although we determine how we behave, safe manners on the road elude many Drivers – especially in situations of stress and anxiety. Here are a few tips on keeping your safe behavior on the road: o Allow realistic time – do not create self-inflicted time-pressures o Observe the other road users around you. Identify and determine their levels of hurry or anxiety. Predict what unacceptable move they are most likely to make next (before they make it!). three-point seat-belts, head-rests, air-bags for the front occupants, anti-lock braking systems (ABS), side impact protection (ie. reinforcement within the doors), etc. You may wish to personally adopt some of these. Remember to check items like the brake fluid, oil, coolant water, power steering fluid, wind-shield wash- water levels on daily basis. Also check that your lights, wipers, signals and horn are working. Do not wait to do any repairs just before embarking on a long journey – always have your vehicle in a road-worthy state. o Where the other road users are in too-great a hurry, allow them to go ahead. You do not always have to be the first or be ahead of everyone else. o Remember our basics that are enshrined in the life-saving rules: follow your journey plan, do not exceed set speed limits, use your seat-belt, do not use a cellphone when driving, do not drink if you will drive (nor use illicit drugs at any time). We urge you to apply them even when on your own personal journeys by road. o Avoid being on long journeys by road in the night because your peripheral vision is limited in the dark. Remember that safe driving behavior begins before you sit behind the steering wheel. Be sober, in good health and with proper composure of mind before you get behind the wheel of a vehicle.