Understanding why the safety of our roads is only the first step into getting more people interested of the topic. By spreading the word of vehicle accidents over the UK for the past few years should encourage more and more people to gather together, and work towards the ‘Zero Accidents’ goal that the UK government has set.

With the new lockdown restrictions, reducing accidents should be the norm. Plus ee all have the time to sit down and read more information on how to make our roads safer for us, our kids, our community. Nevertheless, we do understand that researching such topics online might take some time.

Therefore, we decided to summarize and systemise all of our knowledge, and combine it with recent research, to give to you in a simple article that will take less than 10 minutes to read. There will be three different section, including drivers, passengers, and pedestrians, so you can read all of them or only the one that you think is relevant to you. Here’s how we all participate in reducing accidents in the UK.

Drivers

  • When you get into the vehicle, do a quick safety check to ensure everything is working properly. This may include the front and back lights, or whether something is leaking from the motor vehicle.
  • Always check whether your tyres are fully inflated.
  • When you get into the vehicle, check, or reposition all the mirrors to ensure you can see properly outside of the car.
  • Always wear your seatbelt when driving!
  • Keep a close attention to any signs that appear when you are driving and obey the driving rules in your country.
  • If you are driving past parked cars, take a close look to whether someone if leaving their parking spot.
  • Do not use your phone when driving. Smartphones are such an easy distraction so keep it away as much as possible.
  • If you hear or see sirens of an emergency vehicle, such as a police car or fire truck, pull up to the side or completely stop to allow it to pass as fast as possible.
  • Be mindful of the weather conditions- if it rains the roads will be more slipper, if there is fog, you could slow down your speed as you will not be able to see properly.
  • Never drive under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Do not smoke when driving.
  • And overall, drive in a safe manner and be careful when driving around schools!

Passengers

  • If you are sitting on the front seat, make sure you always put your seatbelt first. If you are on the back seats, it is still safer to wear a seatbelt.
  • In order for the driver to keep their hands on the wheel, you can always help with navigating the radio or the air-conditioning in the vehicle.
  • If the driver needs navigation, you can always help them by giving directions from a map or a GPS device.
  • Try to not scream or make loud sounds while in a moving vehicle. A more calming conversation can even help the driver’s concentration.
  • If notice anything wrong with the vehicle, tell the driver immediately to avoid accidents.
  • If you see that the driver is going to or is using their phone, tell them nicely to put it down, and offer your help if they need anything.

Pedestrians

  • Follow the pedestrian rules and signs when walking near traffic.
  • Be mindful of traffic lights, not only for pedestrians but also for vehicles, as these might sometimes overlap.
  • Always use the sidewalks when possible. If there are no sidewalks, always walk in the opposite direction of the moving vehicles so you can see them and stay as away as you can from them.
  • Do not assume that a driver sees you. Always make sure to make yourself visible for the drivers and make eye contact with them before crossing a street in front of a vehicle.
  • Make sure you can hear and see clearly when crossing or walking on a street. Sometimes wearing hooded clothing or listening to music might cause you to not react as fast as you would usually do.

Most of the above rules suggestions and rules are specifically for cities or towns. However, some of them might still be useful on the highway, so we suggest you try and comply with them as much as you can to ensure yours’ and other people’s safety.

In 2019, 1,752 people were killed in reported road traffic accidents, 39 of which children, and also 125,461 were injured in road traffic accidents in the UK. Therefore, at Traffic Cameras, we believe in the prevention of such horrible accidents by educating the drivers, passengers, and pedestrians of our country.

Let us know your thoughts on reducing accidents below in the comments.

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