Check that your vehicle is in good condition before undertaking a journey. Check that all your lights, back and front, and brake lights, are working. Every six months, check your windscreen wipers. Also check your tyres and brake fluid when filling up with petrol.

Speed…..

When driving, always ensure that you are aware of the speed limit and do not exceed it. These limits were determined to ensure your safety on the road, and not to hold you back. Rather be safe than sorry. Speed should always be reduced in bad weather, and darkness. Remember, speed kills.

Following distance….

A good driver ensures that there is always enough space around and in front of him to note potential problem situations and to react in good time. The following distance should not be less than 2 seconds.

How to determine the correct following distance…..

Look for an object or mark alongside or on the road, eg a lamp post, road mark or shadow.

When the rear end of the car in front of you passes that landmark, count off two seconds by saying "thousand and one, two thousand and two". If you reach the mark before you have finished counting, you are too close.

Following distances must be increased during bad weather, and when the road surface is uneven.

Overtaking….

Before you overtake a car in front of you, make sure you are not being overtaken yourself. Look in the rear view mirror, in both side mirrors and in your blind spot, to check if it is safe to overtake. Signal your intention with your indicator. Never overtake on a blind rise.

Lights…..

It is important that other drivers can see your car. Switch on your headlights in rainy conditions, at dusk, and where there are bad road conditions. If you have a dark car, it is often not clearly visible.

Seatbelts….

It is compulsory for everybody who drives in South Africa to wear seatbelts in the front and back of the vehicle. Every journey has a potential for a collision even if it is right outside your driveway. Short drives on a well known road often reduce concentration.

It takes less than three seconds to buckle up. If a car is travelling at 50kph and stops suddenly in a collision, the body mass of every object in the car carries on moving at the speed the car was going, and is increased X30 ie. a child of 10kgs, if unrestrained, will fly forward and hit the windscreen at 300kg's. Could you hold this weight on your lap? All loose objects should be in the boot of the vehicle.

Overloading….

Overloaded vehicles result in a large number of deaths and injuries on our roads, and also cause damage to the road network and vehicles. Remember the following, and never overload :

An overloaded vehicle :

 Will take longer to stop

Is more difficult to handle

Results in high maintenance costs

Results in the vehicle's headlights tilting upwards at night and blinding oncoming traffic.

When is a vehicle overloaded?…..

It is safe to go by the number of seatbelts in the vehicle to determine the number of people one can transport. In an ordinary sedan motorcar, there are usually five seatbelts, which means that any more than three persons in the back and two in the front, will be overloading.

In a bakkie, there are either two or three seatbelts. No more than three people should sit in the front of a bakkie. There are twelve to sixteen seater taxis available, stick to the number of passengers stipulated.

Freeway Driving.....

Once you have joined the traffic flow, stay in the left hand lane. The right hand lane is not the fast lane, but the overtaking lane. The emergency or yellow line lane is not for general use, and should only be used in emergencies, or by emergency vehicles. Do not forget your following distance.