TOP TEN SAFER DRIVING GUIDE
 
Safer driving saves lives – and money. Here are the Top Ten safer driving tips from the British Institute of Advanced Motorists.
 
1. READ THE ROAD: The further ahead you look, the more time you have to react to potential road hazards. Make sure you can stop in the distance you can see.
 
2. ANTICIPATE: Drivers often pride themselves on their quick reactions. But the really good driver anticipates the problem that is coming and slows down well in advance.
 
3. CREATE SPACE: The more space around your vehicle, the more time you have to respond if something goes wrong – and the more likely you will find an escape route.
 
4. TWO-SECOND RULE: This could save your life. Spot a marker ahead, such as a bridge or a lamp post and wait until the vehicle ahead of you goes past it. Then say to yourself: "Only a fool breaks the two-second rule." If you are at the marker before you have finished, you are too close. Double it if the road is wet or icy.
 
5. ASSUME THE WORST: Never presume that another motorist has seen you or will react as you expect. Don't rely on somebody else's reactions to keep you safe. (I always claim that ALL other drivers are insane and I need to think for them as well as myself, as the only sane person on the road. Axiompc.)
 
6. CONCENTRATE: At 70mph your car covers 100ft per second. Looking away at a crucial moment can be fatal.
 
7. LEARN FROM MISTAKES: Near misses happen to everyone. Afterwards, think about how you could have avoided getting into that situation.
 
8. STAY FRESH: Driver fatigue is a major factor in many crashes. Tale a 15-minute break after two hours at the wheel.
 
9. LOOK AROUND YOU: Use mirrors regularly and look to the side so you have a 360-degree knowledge of what's going on.
 
10. DON'T MAKE SUDDEN MOVEMENTS: If you have scanned all round you and used that information to predict what may happen, you should never have to say: "The other vehicle appeared out of nowhere."
 
For British drivers reading this, for more details about the Institute of Advanced Motorists, call 020 8994 4403 or visit their Website www.iam.org.uk

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