Summer Driving Hazards

Summer is a great time of year, and a season which is great to drive in. However, even in the summer, roads are full of hazards.

Here are the top hazards that you should look out for:

1. Bicycles and Horses: It is advised that you leave ‘at least a metre’ when passing bicycles. Horses are more of a risk, but they have the same rights to the road as cars. With these particular hazards, you must pass slow and wide, with no loud noises.

2. Motorcycles: There are likely to be more motorcycles on the roads during the summer. You must double check at junctions as these are blackspots. Although motorcyclists are 38 times more likely to die, being hit by a motorcycle can still be deadly. According to ROSPA, in a side impact causing a change in speed over 40mph, has an 85% chance of death.

3. Kids and Teenagers in the Street: In 2010, 180 people died in crashes at legal speeds. Good weather during the summer means children will be playing outside and so it will not always be safe to drive at 30mph. The holidays mean more teenagers on the roads, and car crashes are the biggest single killer of UK youth. One in five new drivers has a crash within six months, and men aged 17-20 are seven times more at risk than any other group.

4. Distracted Drivers: On the average, drivers took their eye off the ball once every six minutes. Distractions include phone calls, food, drinks, grooming, smoking and children.  Astonishingly, 40% of drivers surveyed started reading or writing whilst driving.

5. Breakdowns: Great weather means more breakdowns, as worn out cars go on long hot trips. Look for leaking hoses, low water levels and broken fans before leaving, and watch for breakdowns blocking the road.

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