Road Safety
Don't drink / use drugs and drive
Alcohol affects your ability to drive. You risk a fine of up to £5,000, a minimum 12-month driving ban and a criminal record.
Driving while unfit through drugs (illegal, prescribed or over-the-counter) is an offence which carries the same penalty as drink driving. If you take medicine for an illness, ask the doctor or chemist about side effects before you drive. New drug drive legislation came into force in March 2015 which includes eight prescription drugs and makes it easier for police to catch and convict drug drivers.
To find out more visit the following websites:
- Think! Campaigns
- Think! - Mates Matter Campaign
- Morning after calculator on the Morning After website - helps you find out if you're safe to drive after a night of driving, if in doubt don't drive
Don't drive and use your mobile phone
Research suggests that if you are using a mobile phone while driving you are four times more likely to be involved in an accident.
Other research has shown that driver’s reaction times are up to 50% slower than normal when driving and using a mobile phone and that your reaction times are 30% worse than when driving under the influence of alcohol.
It is dangerous because a telephone conversation (or texting) distracts from the mental concentration needed to drive safely. You put yourself and other road users in danger.
You’re twice as likely to crash text driving as you are drink driving. You wouldn’t drink and drive. Don’t text and drive.
THINK! has produced a campaign to reduce handheld phone use amongst young drivers and coincide with a strengthening of the law around mobile phone use behind the wheel. Take a look at the campaign here for further advice.
Motorists are breaking the law if they use a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel for any use, including to take photos or videos, scroll through playlists or play games – as the government closes a loophole previously exploited by dangerous drivers to escape conviction.
Anyone caught using their handheld device while driving could face a fine of up to £1,000 as well as six points on their licence or a full driving ban.
The AA launches seatbelt campaign
Young people are being urged to ‘belt up in the back’, as new data highlights the worrying numbers killed in car crashes by not wearing their seatbelts. New analysis shows almost half (43%) of passengers aged 17-29 who die in car crashes, are not belted. Wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of death by around 50%, meaning up to around a quarter of all young car passenger deaths could be avoided if all young passengers put their belts on.
The AA Charitable Trust has carried out the analysis to mark the start of a new focus on the importance of wearing a seatbelt, particularly among young people
Drivers and passengers must wear a seatbelt whether they're travelling in the front or back of a vehicle. For those aged 14 and over, failure to wear a seatbelt can result in an on-the-spot fine of £100, but if prosecuted the maximum fine is £500. As a passenger in a taxi or private hire vehicle, you are required by law to wear a seatbelt if one is provided.
Are you a focused driver?
Take part in this short interactive test produced by the Open University to see if you're a distracted driver.
New Drivers
Statistics show that new drivers are more likely to have an accident in the first two years after passing their test, due to lack of driving experience. Drivers who have passed their test in the last two years who acquire six points on their licence, will need to re-take their test - further details can be found here.
Digital Magazines
First Car have published Young Drivers' Guide and Learning to Drive - The Parent's Guide
Read the article from Dr Elizabeth Box about why parents hold the key to young driver safety - this can be found under Related Downloads.
Young Drivers can follow First Car on TikTok for advice about driving.
Get Your Coat App
Download Get Your Coat App a mobile phone app which provides intelligent travel planning, reminders and support for a great day, or night out.
Use the app to:
- Set a designated driver who you can contact with one touch of a button, either phoning them or sending a message containing your location
- Set your preferred taxi firm - if you can't get through or are visiting an area they don't cover, you can quickly search for and call other local taxi numbers
- Have the app send you reminders for your train or bus 30 minutes before they depart - the countdown timer means you know exactly how much time you have left
- Keep in touch - if you lose your friends or feel unsafe, you can quickly send a message including your location to friends or family
- Let family and friends know you've arrived at your destination with the touch of a button
- Use the built-in drinks tracker to keep an eye on how much you've had
- Search for alternative transport and find links to help and support
Winter driving check list
- Check your tyres - advice can be found on Tyre Safe website
- Make sure your windscreen and lights are clean
- Keep an ice scraper and de-icer in your car
- Pack an emergency kit including torch and batteries, warm clothes and blanket, boots, first aid kit, jump leads, mobile phone charger, and a drink, reflective warning triangle, shovel, road map, sunglasses and any medication you might need
Find out more
In winter weather it's important to pack some essential items in your boot so you can make sure you're prepared for the cold and dark conditions. Check out the Auto Ninja Winter Checklist under Related Downloads to make sure you have stuff in your vehicles for safer journeys this winter.
Rural road safety advice on driving on rural road
Think! website - vehicle safety checks
Automobile Association (AA) website - tips about safe winter driving and car maintenance
The Home Safely on Safe Tyres campaign website highlights the importance of tyres in keeping drivers and their young passengers safe while on the roads. It also emphasises to all drivers entrusted with child care that it is their responsibility to check the condition of their car’s tyres
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency website
Rules for riding a motorcycle
Visit the Gov.uk website motorcycle rules to find out about the rules for riding a motorcycle.
Always wear a helmet. It could save your life.
To find out more about motorcycle helmets and the law see:
Gov.uk website motorcycle helmet information
Record MOT tyre failures have sparked calls for tighter laws around replacement rubber
DVSA data shows that 2,152,849 vehicles failed the MoT on tyre defects in 2023-24, up from just over 2 million the previous year, and rising steadily from 1.83 million in 2019-20. Watch the short video to learn more about tyre safety.
Ride Free: online motorcycle training to improve road safety
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) have announced the introduction of Ride Free, a free online training course which you should complete before going for Compulsory Basic Training (CBT). The training consists of five pre-course eLearning modules. Full details of the course and how to enrol can be found here.
Ride Free has been developed by DVSA, Highways England and other partners to help new riders prepare for a lifetime of safe riding.
Find out more:
Training - TVAM - general safety advice for motorcyclists
Ridefree: new online motorcycle training to improve road safety - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
RoSPA website - advice for learner motorcyclists
YouTube website never too good to be a better rider video - watch the latest Think! film
Digital Magazines
First Car have published some magazines for further reading:
Work drivers
Driving is one of the most dangerous activities you will do in a working day. Up to a third of road accidents involve someone that is at work at the time. Ensuring the safety of people that drive for work is the responsibility of the employer but the driver must also be sure that their vehicle is safe and fit for purpose to remain safe and to stay within the law. See Driving for Better Business for advice on what to look out for before driving.
Mature drivers
Keeping up to date with modern motoring is essential to remaining safe on the roads. Taking note of an up-to-date highway code will be essential to understand modern traffic with active traffic management being just one of the things that have adapted the way we drive. With age eyesight may deteriorate and this is where it is essential to get regular eye tests in order to maintain your vision. Age can also effect ability to judge speed and it is also necessary to check the effects of any medication you may be taking on your driving for your and other road users safety.
Digital Magazines
First Car have published DriveOn - The Essential Guide to Driving
Hard copies of this magazine are available by contacting us.
Older Drivers Forum
The Older Drivers’ Forum, are calling on all motorists aged over 65 to consider a regular driver's assessment. It comes as figures from the Department for Transport show a 45% increase since 2010, in the number of motorists aged over 70 who have been hurt or killed in accidents in the UK.
According to the Older Drivers' Forum, motorists aged over 70 are less likely to be involved in collisions involving speed, carelessness, or recklessness. But they are 38% more likely to be involved in collisions where they have failed to look properly and 55% more likely to be involved in collisions by failing to judge another person's speed or path. The Forum also predicts the number of older drivers will treble in the next 20 years.
Webinars for mature drivers
West Mercia Police recently hosted two webinars aimed specifically at mature drivers and their families. Each webinar covers different topics and aims to provide mature drivers with advice on how to keep driving safer for longer as well as guidance and support on making informed decisions about their driving.
Useful links:
Full table of changes to the highway code
Reported road casualties in Great Britain, 2020 data