Possible causes of these accidents • Distracted driving Most South African drivers are distracted by many things for example answering their mobile phones, sending text messages or putting makeup on while driving. • Speeding Many drivers in South Africa ignore the speed limit and drive 30km over the limit. “Speed kills and travelling above the speed limit is an easy way to cause a car accident. The faster you drive, the slower your reaction time will be if you need to prevent an auto accident”. (Anon., 2017) • Drunk driving When you drink, you lose focus you become easily distracted at all times which is very dangerous when operating a vehicle. In South Africa is more dangerous to drive on Fridays and Saturday because South Africans party hard on these days and usually …show more content…
The use of advanced vehicle technologies and safety features helps to prevent crashes and minimise the impact to occupants and pedestrians. • Child Restraints - A Guide to Car Seats “The most important reason for using a car seat is to protect your child. An approved and properly fitted car seat may reduce the risk of death or serious injury in road crashes by up to 70%” (Anon., 2017). • Crashworthiness - Buying a Safer Car “A safe car will help protect you and your passengers if you are involved in a crash. Buying the safest car you can afford could save your life. If everyone drove the safest car in its class, road trauma involving light passenger vehicles could be reduced by 26%. If cars incorporated the safest design elements for their class, trauma could be reduced by 40%”. (Anon., 2017) Rules of the road • Pull into traffic slowly. As South Africans we should learn to be patient at all times slow down , Look, Listen and be aware of blind spots, including those in rear view mirrors and behind windshield pillars or highway road