Car safety - what you can do

by Tamsin McCahill on 29.01.08

When you read reports of yet another horrible car crash, it’s hard to believe the UK actually has one of the best road safety records in Europe. But according to recent figures, our low death rates are beaten only by Sweden, Malta and the Netherlands and we’ve reduced driver fatalities by 7% between 2001 and 2007.

But while we may be surprised by our impressive road safety record, it’s something the medical profession has been long aware of – particularly those caring for patients who need organ transplants. According to the BBC, 350 heart transplants were carried out a year a decade ago. Now, the figure is less than half that – and it’s simply because there aren’t as many healthy organs available.

In the 1990s, road accidents were more common and the victims were often young people who had died of head injuries. But thanks to numerous road safety campaigns and stringent rules on seatbelt wearing and drink driving, the number of fatal accidents has fallen so dramatically that there is now a critical lack of organs for transplant, despite an increase in people registering as donors.

Despite the increased safety on our roads we shouldn’t get too complacent. Car accidents are still so common that we have a one in 200 chance of dying on the road, according to road safety charity Brake.

You may be thinking, “But I don’t drink and drive, I wear my seatbelt and always stick to the speed limit. What else can I do?” Well there are plenty of ways to make you and your family safer in the car – but the majority boil down to one thing: concentrating fully on driving.

According to this road safety article in the Telegraph, losing concentration at the wheel accounts for a half of all road traffic accidents.

Some distractions, like talking on your mobile, are now well legislated against. From February this year, drivers caught using hand-held mobiles will face a £60 fine plus three points on their licence. But what many don’t realise is that even using a hands- free kit can get you into trouble, if a police officer pulls you over for driving erratically and believes you were talking at the time. According to the Department of Transport’s Think! Road safety website, this is because simply talking on the phone makes your reaction times up to 50% slower – worse than if you had been drinking.

Drivers are also being fined for eating while driving, and the new edition of the Highway Code says that smokers could now face penalties if they’re caught lighting up behind the wheel.

But while we can stop smoking, eating or using our phones, there are other common driving distractions that are less easy to avoid. Anyone who’s ever gone on a long car journey with a screaming toddler or an over-excited puppy will know how difficult it is to give their full concentration to the road. So what can we do about it? Luckily, we’ve compiled some helpful tips on dealing with both situations.

Read part one-> Driving with children

IMAGES by Flickr users VeryBadLady and Joka2000