Road Safety Rules

10 golden rules for road safety

Drivers should know all the rules to drive on the road. All said, in reality how many of us are following them?

Following the safety rules is far from what it should be. It is one of the requirements to get the driving license and once they have got one, surprisingly people easily forget about any rules. Fortunate for such blokes even when they go to get their licenses renewed, no one is going to check their knowledge about the rules.

How can one stress more that it is extremely important to know as well as remember the rules and follow them during driving as it involves not just self but everybody's safety? It pays to be safe than to be sorry. Enough of it now let's get to the rules and the dos and don'ts.

We will see the most common rules as well as the breaches made by many of the drivers:

1) Stay on the left, to give room for the vehicles in the opposite direction to pass. The middle of the road is; however, safer than the sides due to lack of bumps, more so when the road has not been fixed for a long time. This is the mistake usually noticed on narrow roads or in small towns when the drivers do not expect heavy traffics or speeding cars. However, head-on collisions happen more often than not by breaching this rule. The locals of the small town know their road better yet accidents could happen to anyone and they are avoidable should safety measures be put into action.

2) Give way to the traffic flow on your left especially at roundabouts and T junctions. You should always beware of those rude drivers who always intend to go past first not waiting it is not their turn to move. They know the rules yet disobey them conveniently and leading to traffic chaos and congestion to name a few inconveniences.

3) Always wait for those vehicles going straight when you want to take a turn, especially to the right and more so when there is no signal that conveniently allows you to. Usually the traffic lights with the left/right turn indications pave way to those who'd want to take turns; however, if there is no free right or left turn indicators, it is very important that you wait to give way for those vehicles that go past you straight.

4) Go to the left if you intend to take a left turn and stay close to the left which facilitates taking a small turn. Quite the contrary some drivers take huge turn more so turning from the right while entering into a new street. It should be remembered that they are blocking ongoing straight vehicles as well as become a hazard to the vehicles coming from the opposite direction at the turn lanes. The driving schools recommend that vehicles turning to the left stay on the left and enter the right side of the road slowly and gradually while adhering to signal giving religiously.

5) The other rule of safety is to slow down the car when you are driving into zones including 4 road junctions, intersections, pedestrian crossings, school areas, hospital zones, temple streets and those similar to these. The rule is pretty obviously made in the interest of others' safety. However, sometimes few drivers drive as though they own the road and keep on speeding while driving in these low-speed zones. Some of them don't bother to display their turning intentions while taking turns, some of the drivers use heavy honking and some go with their music system playing aloud. Any of these could be reasons for many accidents involving school children and pedestrians.



6) Do not drive exceeding the speed limit on the particular road/zone. Majority of us love to drive fast but exceeding the speed limits in a speed limit zone will lead you to nowhere but traffic congestion as some drivers follow the rule and adhere to the speed limit. It should be remembered that the speed limit has been on impose for some serious reasons there and we have to comply with the same. Strangely, in some zones, there won't be speed limit set and there won't be speed limit signboards found too. Yet the drivers should be aware that there is a specified speed limit within city or a town and never cross the limit for thrill reasons.

7) Then the drivers should be aware of their speed as well as the stopping distance as the two are quite dependent factors. If you are driving in high speeds, you need more distance to hit the brake pedal and before the car stops. Furthermore it does take sometime to have your reflexes working to some emergency situation and you can act. Considering all these risks isn't it cool to drive in speed limits?

8 ) Keep your distance from other vehicles. This rule is made because you can never be able to read other drivers' mind. And it is impossible to judge when they will suddenly stop and when they will be speeding. Therefore, it is extremely safe for you to keep a good distance and give some space and time, so you can react appropriately.

9) Give way to pedestrians especially in the zones with zebra crossings. Any and every vehicle should stop to give way to the crossing pedestrians in this area. It is important to drive within the speed limits in the pedestrian zones. Make sure you stop you vehicle before the stop line or if there is no stopping line, a few feet before the zebra crossing.

10) It is important you don't drive if you are on certain medications. Drivers under influences of certain medications have poor and slow reflexes and often times fail to react immediately, notwithstanding their reduced driving focus and ability. This causes enormous decrease in them being alert. The situation is completely dangerous and jeopardizes others safety too. So if you should take medications, please read the labels containing driving warnings. Many would like to drink some pints of beer or perhaps a glass of wine in the evening especially during weekends, and then they think they can drive after that. This is not allowed because any concentration of alcohol lowers the vision especially during the nights by more than 50%. Apart from that, alcohol also slows motor coordination, judgment, and other driving reactions. It is the same with people taking marijuana, ecstasy, or any other drugs since they affect the central nervous system and the person taking them are loss from the reality. So never drive after taking drugs and/or alcohol and risk others safety too besides being booked under DUI(Driving Under Influence).