It is the holiday season, and many people will be traveling upcountry for the festivities.
Recently, traffic police spokesperson, Faridah Nampiima revealed that over 700 road accidents occurred in a period of just two weeks into December of this year, resulting in over 150 fatalities.
Matooke Republic has therefore made the decision to assist and provide driving advice, particularly for novice drivers, who intend to travel across the country over the holiday season.
First and foremost; You must service your car. Replace worn tyres, suspension bushes, and tie rods, check your water, and rack ends. Go for alignment and camber adjustment. To avoid common highway breakdowns, check your battery, check your belts, check your lights, and check your indicators and spare tyre.
Do not overload your car every adult you carry must be seated and belted. No standing kids especially those that like to stand kids behind the dashboard.
Do not speed or compete with other drivers. Give way even when you have right of way. Don’t overtake on blind corners or in heavy rain
If your vehicle breaks down. Do not have your family stand next to the vehicle while you repair with half your butt on the highway. If it is a catastrophic failure and you can’t move, have them stand 20 meters away into the bush.
Do not place your triangle 2 meters behind your car. Place it at a minimum of 70 meters from where your car has stalled. Do not place a tyre on the road. A sleeping driver will hit it.
Familiarize yourself with emergency medical and accident lifesaving procedures that you or another adult in your entourage can carry out while waiting for help. Even kids should have on them emergency numbers.
Furthermore, if you find an accident on the road with no help in sight, stop to help. Do not just take pictures to post on your social media page. Those five minutes of your attention might be the difference between someone living or dying.
Avoid unnecessary aggression on the road, it will change your judgment and distract you from the matter at hand.
Lastly, drive slowly. It’s a holiday, not an emergency. Give every action a second thought. Train yourself to be patient and calm in all situations.