Road accidents become a recurring phenomenon in Nigeria especially during festivities such as Christmas. Numerous lives are lost while uncountable persons are injured in consequence of accidents. Accidents on our roads can be minimized if not avoided completely.
There are number of factors that bring or contribute to the occurrence of such accidents. The most commonly cited contributing factors for crashes over the Christmas holiday period were; losing control, travelling too fast for conditions, alcohol or drugs, inattention, too far left, failed to give way or stop, inexperience, did not see other party, failed to keep left, and fatigue.
The following were identified as preventive measures to accidents during Christmas:
When the roads are busiest depends on your area and how many people travel for Christmas this year. In general though, Christmas Eve and the day after the holiday are particularly heavy traffic periods. You may want to schedule a longer vacation to leave earlier and later than most other families or consider driving on Christmas Day.
You need to be careful not to drive while overly tired. Drowsy driving is a major contributor to car accidents. If you are worn out or exhausted, take a nap before you drive. Better yet, if you have a long day planned, make arrangements to stay the night with your hosts or splurge on a hotel nearby.
Drinking too much throughout the day can mean you are not in the right state to drive home after dinner. If you know your family has to get back in the car at the end of the day, make sure to have a designated driver or limit yourself to one alcoholic beverage at mealtime.
If you have to go somewhere for Christmas and winter weather is acting up, be extremely cautious while driving. Leave for your destination early. Drive slowly, leave plenty of room between you and the vehicles ahead, and brake much sooner than you normally would.
When driving, you need to be on the lookout for animals that might dart into the road. Collisions with animals are particularly dangerous because they can cause you to collide with another car or total your vehicle. Animals are most active at dawn and dusk. During those times, do not speed and use your high beam lights when you can. If an animal starts into the road ahead of you, do not swerve or slam on your brakes. Calmly take your foot off the gas and then slowly brake.
If you are lucky, everyone will be tired and sleep on the way home – except for you. This can help you avoid distractions while you drive. However, if other individuals are awake, be sure to keep conversation to a minimum. Passengers have been proven to be a distraction to drivers.
Additionally, put your cell phone away. Texts, emails, and apps are all distractions that lead to serious accidents. (Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C.)
Also, pay attention to the road — not your passengers, your meal, your makeup, your cell phone, or your stereo. Inattentive driving kills just as much as drunk driving.
If the rest of the traffic is going 75, and you’re driving 55, you are the dangerous one.
Signal your turns, follow traffic laws, and observe local driving conventions. You may think you’re a good egg to stop and let someone go before you, but if you have the right of way, you endanger everyone when you stop unpredictably.
Make sure that your vehicle is in good mechanical condition — tires, engine, headlights. You don’t want your car breaking at highway speeds, and you want to be sure people see you.
Use your headlights in bad weather and as soon as the sun drops below the horizon! They’re no just there so you can see, but so you can be seen. In fact, just leave them on all the time.
Ultimately, FRSC made the following statement concerning the use of Google Map while driving:
“We call on all motorists who intend to deploy the use of google map on their phone especially during the festive season when traffic density is high, to activate such before setting the vehicle in motion so as to ensure 100 per cent concentration on the wheels.”