Things to watch out for while driving this Christmas
We are very excited about driving home for Christmas! A very special time of the year that needs to stay special…. We want to give you a few tips about driving over the Christmas season. While some of them may sound a little basic, sometimes we just need a quick reminder to keep it at the forefront of our minds. We all want to arrive home safely this Christmas.
Car Lights
As the roads are icy, our local councils are gritting the roads to keep us safe. This also makes our cars very dirty and can reduce our visibility because our lights are dirty too. If you don’t have time to stop at a carwash, wash your lights at home to help you see properly on the roads. People may be walking to or from the pub or simply out walking their dog.
Windscreen
Do not attempt to drive with a foggy or iced windscreen. Without full visibility you are taking your life and the lives of others into your hands. For example, last week a large bale of hay had fallen on a sharp bend. It was quite dark and if my windscreen was foggy I wouldn’t have seen it!
The Car Boot
The weather is bitter at the moment and if you get a flat tyre or breakdown, you need to be prepared. We wrote a blog a few weeks ago about what to have in your car boot. It is essential to have a warm coat, a reflective jacket and a spare tyre in the car. An empty fuel tank is also handy to have if you happen to run out of fuel.
Don’t Take Chances
If you are the designated driver over Christmas, don’t be bullied into overloading the car with extra people. It may sound like good craic and it may speed up the ‘getting home’ process but if anything goes wrong and you are stopped by the Gardai, you and your conscious will pay the price.
Image credit: http://www.unum.co.uk/