Holiday Car Accidents: How to Stay Safe on the Road
It is that time of the year again when Batswana are getting ready for their long-awaited holiday to relax or enjoy a staycation. While road trips bring excitement, preparing for the journey can be very stressful and time-consuming. There’s a lot that goes into preparing for the holiday season; from ensuring that your vehicle is road-ready to taking the journey down the long road.
Annually, thousands of vehicles embark on travels to different destinations, causing extreme traffic congestion and accidents. While some may spend their time at home, this does not exempt them from being cautious.
This is why you should educate yourself on the best practices and take proactive measures to make sure you stay safe on the road. Let’s discuss how to stay safe on your journey and what you can do to prevent holiday accidents.
The Real Risks of Holiday Driving
The holiday period is an exciting time for holidaymakers. It’s a time filled with joy and laughter. To keep the joyful energy going, it is important to stay mindful of potential challenges that may arise. Here are the different ways to avoid risks when driving during the holiday season.
Avoid Distracted Driving
It’s very easy to get distracted when driving due to influences such as conversations with passengers, changing music on your radio, and eating. These factors contribute to you not paying much attention to the road, which could cause you to bump into the back of another vehicle. Additionally, you could have excited children in the car with you causing a commotion. This could result in you not noticing reckless driving around you that could be a risk to your safety.
Avoid cellphone usage
Another risk is cellphone use, which is one of the biggest contributors to distraction on the road. In fact, according to Accident Angels, 25% of accidents are linked to motorists using their phones and not concentrating.
Many things are fighting for your attention; like messages and new posts from your favourite social media apps. The excitement from this can cause a driver to quickly lose focus. To avoid this, put your phone on silent until you are done driving.
Consider traffic volumes
The number of registered vehicles on the road during the holiday season increases year on year. The statistics for the 2023/2024 festive season indicated that there were more registered vehicles on the road which was an increase of vehicles compared to the previous year.
Taking these statistics into consideration, here are a few things to consider:
- If you need to do clothing or grocery shopping, try arriving at the store before it opens. That way you avoid traffic congestion and you get to do your shopping without the long queues that take up your time.
- Going grocery shopping in the evening. Many stores stay open till late during the holiday period, which allows you to do your shopping when there are fewer people and after the daytime rush has died down.
- If you’re taking the long trip, you could consider leaving home early in the morning before everyone else has woken up, allowing for a free-flowing road trip.
Driver Fatigue
Long-distance road trips on congested roads can cause a person to feel fatigued, which can affect their ability to make fast decisions and in turn, slow down a person’s reaction time. For example, an irresponsible driver cutting in front of a fatigued motorist could cause them to swerve out in panic and bump into another car. This could also be very dangerous to inexperienced drivers who might not know how to react.
Drinking and driving
The holiday is a time to come together with family and friends and often involves drinking. Unfortunately, some people take the celebrations too far by drinking too much and using illegal substances. This impairs a person’s senses and lowers their ability to focus. This will affect reaction times and coordination and could lead to accidents.
Prevent mechanical failures
Mechanical failures pose a massive risk to motorists, especially on long-distance trips. Vehicles that have not been serviced regularly could cause unexpected accidents due to not being maintained properly. These failures could be tyre blowouts, brake failures, or engine overheating which could lead to breakdowns on roads and congested highways.
Don’t drive over the speed limit
The anxieties of the season, unfortunately, cause people to rush. This is especially true when people travel long distances and feel that speeding will get them to their destination faster. As you know stress plus a need to get things done fast, equals a loss of judgment, which can result in accidents and sadly loss of life.
Consider weather and road conditions
Botswana weather can be unpredictable. It can often change in a matter of minutes, from hot to cold or from sunny and warm to cloudy and rainy. For example, the December rainy season in southwestern Tsabong area.
To give more context on the state of road accidents during the holiday period, let’s look at a few statistics from the accident report for the December period of 2023/2024.
- On average, 400 people die in road accidents in Botswana each year.
- In one festive season, 45 people died in 33 fatal road accidents, compared to 22 deaths in 19 fatal accidents during the same period in 2022.
- Weather can impair visibility, making it harder for drivers to see.
These statistics do paint a negative light on our beloved country, but it is a reality that we have to be aware of. Luckily there are steps you can take to stay safe on the road.
Tips for Staying Safe on the Road
Travelling this holiday season can be very enjoyable and stress-free when you put a few things into practice, let’s discuss what you can do to stay safe.
Plan your trips accordingly
Are you planning on escaping to your ideal paradise this holiday? If so, the best place to start is to plan your trip. You can do this by mapping out your journey from start to finish. Know beforehand where you will be stopping to rest, stretch your legs and get a bite to eat. Additionally, avoiding congested roads will drastically improve your trip experience and save fuel costs.
If you staying closer to home you might consider structuring your day. If you’ll be travelling, monitor traffic updates on GPS apps to monitor traffic congestion and drive only when heavy traffic has died down.
Conduct a Vehicle Safety Check
After your trip is planned and you are happy with the route, it is time to inspect your vehicle. So here are the checks you should do on your car before hitting the long road:
Adhere to Traffic Laws
Traffic laws were created to make roads safer and to instruct people on how to behave. Adhering to traffic laws not only means you are following the rules of the road but you are also protecting other drivers, pedestrians and road users. These laws include following speed limits, stopping at stop signs and yielding at intersections. Defensive driving like this helps you prevent collisions and also enables you to anticipate actions by reckless drivers.
How Cartrack Can Help You Stay Safe on the Road during the holidays
Road safety is pivotal to Cartrack. Being a leader in stolen vehicle recovery and telematics solutions, Cartrack strives to create solutions that help motorists ensure they stay safe. Here are Cartrack’s features that will help you stay safe this holiday season.
Emergency Assistance Features
You never know what may happen when you are on the road. That is why it is essential to have Cartrack Protector, a crisis manager available 24/7. Protector is an emergency service that assists you in a time of need. Here is what it offers you:
- Roadside assistance: Get assistance with the press of a button when you are stranded and unable to drive your car, this includes jump start, tyre change, locksmith, and refuelling.
- Tow service: With this, you receive accident tow services and vehicle breakdown assistance at any location.
- Medical assistance: Cartrack will secure medical assistance and transport when you’re in an accident, medical advice can also be provided when needed.
- Family or friend contact: Cartrack will immediately contact your family or friends to inform them of your accident.
Stolen Vehicle Recovery
Stolen Vehicle Recovery (SVR) brings together technology and data to recover stolen or hijacked vehicles. In the event you report your vehicle stolen, a ground crew is dispatched. When you are in a province or place you are not familiar with, you can rest assured that Cartrack will have a team that will be available immediately to recover your vehicle.
Are you ready to have the best holiday season? By following the tips discussed and by incorporating Cartrack solutions into your vehicle, you can significantly minimise road safety challenges. You can travel with confidence, knowing that help is just a call away.
Make this holiday season a stress-free experience with Cartrack by your side. Contact us to learn more.
