Hi Folks…

In some parts of the
world people are now getting ready to adjust their clocks – known sometimes as
‘daylight savings’ – which results in a disruption of sleep patterns and
possible feelings of fatigue. One hour – not much – is all that it could take
to cause a driver to experience drowsy driving!

While South Africans
don’t experience the same change – physically changing clock settings – they do
experience the results of seasonal change (summer to winter or vice versa)
 

·         Rising or setting sun
obscuring vision (not even the sun visor being as effective)

·        
Less visible pedestrian and cyclists

·         Intersections with
increased risk because of darkness and, and, and …

Because of changed
conditions drivers are encouraged to take heed of the following suggestions:

·         In the early morning,
watch out for pedestrians when reversing out of driveways.

·         Turn on your headlights
(if not your practice already) to make yourself more visible.

·         Leave more following
room. When the sun is in your eyes it can be hard to see what the car ahead is
doing.

·        
Invest in polarized sunglasses — they can help reduce glare.

·         Utilize your sun visor,
which can help to block out the sun.

·        Because of decreased
visibility remember to yield the right of way to pedestrians in pedestrian
crossings. Don’t pass vehicles stopped at pedestrian crossings.

·         Pay attention and
eliminate all distractions.

While sharing these
driving alerts watch out for the following signs of fatigue which may or may
not be related to seasonal changes.

·         Difficulty focusing,
frequent blinking or heavy eyelids

·         Daydreaming;
wandering/disconnected thoughts

·         Trouble remembering the
last few kilometres  driven; missing exits or traffic signs

·         Yawning repeatedly or
rubbing your eyes

·         Trouble keeping your
head up

·        
Drifting from your lane, tailgating or hitting a shoulder rumble strip

·         Feeling restless and
irritable.

Clearly drivers face
many challenges, the majority of which can be addressed by looking to their own
behaviour so, in the spirit of accepting personal responsibility, make sure the
above driver alerts form part of your everyday actions.

Till next time – Drive
alert, Drive awake.

Eugene Herbert