Driving Skills Academy would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
To help make it as stress less as possible we’ve given you a few driving tips below to help you over the festive season:
Planning to Drive in the lead up to Christmas?
You can be pretty sure you won’t be alone on the roads, it’s likely to be very busy with many families on the move during the holidays.
The last working day before Christmas is often dubbed ‘Frantic Friday’ because of the number of drivers on the roads. Many will be planning to spend the holiday season away and will see Friday as a good day to travel but mixed with the last minute shoppers it can be chaotic!
Plan your trip
It’s always advisable to plan ahead before making a longer journey, so you can prepare for any potential delays and avoid roadworks.
Before you travel, use Google maps to plan your route, it will check live traffic stats and give you the quickest journey whilst avoiding congestion and road works etc. Try out Waze it is a great FREE Sat Nav which uses Google’s data too!
Timing Is everything
Friday evenings are always busy and especially leading into the Christmas weekend – maybe holding off until Saturday morning would be quieter?
If you’re planning to make a journey on Christmas Eve to stay with relatives, could you drive the evening before instead, when the roads are likely to be quieter?
Tis the season to be Jolly but be careful with your alcohol.
Drink driving is a serious issue at any time of the year, but it’s magnified at Christmas with lots of social events to tempt you to drink a few with friends.
If you’ve been drinking alcohol the night before you may not be sober enough to drive the next morning.
A guide to the affects of alcohol and how long it may stay in your system can be found here https://www.drinkdriving.org/bac-calculator.php
Weather
Check the forecast before you travel – if severe weather is predicted, you might have to re-think your plans.
If you don’t use your car for a couple of days, it’s a good idea to at least start the engine and let it tick over for a few minutes, just to keep things running.
Keep your presents under wraps
If you’re driving around with a car full of presents this presents a security risk. Keep them hidden away from view – lock them away in the boot not on rear seats or anywhere visible. Unpack the presents as soon as you can instead of leaving them inside the vehicle.
Maintain the Christmas spirit
Try to enjoy the journey, keep it safe, be courteous to other drivers. Be aware of other drivers who may behave erratically whilst they stress about not having got the gravy or the sprouts for the Christmas dinner!
If you’re travelling with kids, make sure they have plenty of things to keep them entertained, such as snacks, games, consoles or have a sing along!
Happy Christmas folks, please stay safe, we look forward to seeing you in the New Year
#drivingtips #christmas #drivingfestiveseason #MerryChristmas