Safety Tips During The Festive Season
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Hi All
It is that time of year again. The festive season has arrived. I know when planning your holidays, taking sometime off work and spending well deserved family time together the last thing you want to imagine is the possibility of you or your loved ones not arriving or returning to your destination alive. As we all know a large amount of South Africans do not reach their destinations over the December Holidays.
Janita Edwards, Marketing Director of Tempest Car Hire offers the following tips for those who will be travelling over this time.
Planning your route:
• Plan your trip route with a GPS navigation tool or with a road atlas in advance.
• Try to stick to major routes or toll roads.
• If you are going to travel on the ‘back roads’ identify the towns along the route and what the distance is between them, as you will need to plan where to re-fuel.
• Plan rest stops along the way.
• Always ensure that a friend or family member, who is not travelling with you, is aware of the route that you are planning to travel and keep them updated on your progress of the journey.
• Try and avoid peak travel periods if possible.
Rules of the Road
Buckling Up:
• South African law requires each passenger being transported in a motor vehicle to make use of the seatbelts and strap themselves in.
• Infants and children under the age of 12 should travel in the back seat of a vehicle and should be buckled up, either in a car seat, booster seat or using the cars seatbelt.
On the Road
• Keep your driver’s license and identity documents with you at all times.
• South Africa has a zero tolerance policy towards ‘drinking and driving’, so DON’T!
• Keep to the speed limit.
• Be aware of pedestrians.
• Be alert when approaching robots and intersections.
• Avoid fatigue and eyestrain by stopping frequently for breaks and to stretch.
• Don’t rush and try to remain patient.
• Be cautious when driving alone and avoid stopping in remote areas.
• Never leave items such as cell phones and wallets in open sight, unattended, or on the seat of a car.
• If it is raining, turn your headlights and windscreen wipers on. Try to reduce speed and try not to brake suddenly.
• If there is fog, reduce speed, turn headlights on low, or use fog lamps. Use the road markings or the verge of the road as a guide and be very alert for sudden looming obstacles.
• Avoid stopping on the highway and have numbers for roadside assistance and other emergencies close at hand or saved on your cell phone
• Keep essential roadside equipment with you such as a first aid kit, tow rope, warning triangles, torch and fire extinguisher.
In the Event of an Accident
• Determine the extent of the damage or injuries, if medical attention is required contact 10111 for an ambulance or assistance
• Take a picture with a camera or mobile phone and file an accident report with the police as you will need a case number for your insurance company to file a claim.
• Get names, addresses, telephone numbers and ID numbers of everyone involved in the accident.
• If you are in a rental car, make sure your car rental company has a hotline where you can get help. Tempest, for example, has a 24/7 emergency hotline where you can get assistance.
Traveling with Children
• Make sure you pack a variety of things to keep children occupied for ex. snacks and toys, portable DVD players, colouring books and crayons.
• Motion sickness and complains of dizziness or nausea can be helped by getting out of the car for fresh air, alternatively get over the counter drugs for treating motion sickness
Useful emergency numbers:
SAPS Emergency number, this number will allow you access to flying squad, fire department and ambulances: CALL: 10111
Crime Stop 08600 10111
We look forward to welcoming you and the New Year, relaxed, well, happy and safe.
Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year from the GHASA team.
her of All Kloofs!
o now has the only site in the world where you can bungee between the Orlando Towers. The launch was on 22 October 2009 this was quite a joyous event for both the excited jumpers as well as the team who's been working on this Orlando Towers project. In July 2008 they launched the "POWER SWING", this has definately boosted tourism in Soweto.
