Stay Safe This Winter Stay Safe these Winter Nights By Alexandra Goode. Stay Safe Drinking at Christmas By Sophia Alipour. Stay Safe Emergency Car Kit By Lilly Farres. Booklet Designed By Collette Dobson.
Stay Safe these Winter Nights. If you find yourself driving home late from work or university, it’s important to take care on the roads during winter. Here are some key things to make sure you get home safe! DEFROSTING YOUR CAR We all know it’s frustrating to come back to your car and find it frosted over, but too many of us end up driving with no visibility. It’s vital to make sure your windscreen is clear before driving anywhere. 1. If you know you’re going to be leaving your car for a while, keep a piece of cardboard (like a flattened out box) in your boot. When you park up use your wipers to keep the cardboard in place over your windscreen. It takes seconds to do and it’s cheap! 2. De-icer sprays are the quickest way to defrost your car and easy to store under a seat. Less is more. A tiny amount goes a long way and means you don’t need to buy can after can. 3. If you’re rushing out of the house and you realise you don’t have any de-icing products to hand, remember that hot water does the trick. Keeping a full thermos in the car is a cost effective way to get your car clear. REMEMBER NEVER TO POUR SCALDING WATER ONTO YOUR
WINDSCREEN AS IT CAN CRACK THE GLASS. REMEMBER NEVER TO USE YOUR WIPER FLUID OR YOUR WIPERS WHILE YOUR CAR IS FROSTED OVER. ICE WILL TEAR YOUR WIPER BLADES AND SCRATCH YOUR SCREEN. PATIENCE IS THE ESSENCE WHILE DEFROSTING FROM THE INSIDE.
NIGHT LIGHT DRIVING As simple as it sounds, driving during winter involves us all knowing how to use our lights properly, and that includes being aware of other drivers and their bad habits. 1. Even though it gets darker earlier, many people fail to put their lights on. Just because you can see doesn’t mean everyone else can see you, particularly from behind on unlit roads. If the majority of other drivers have their headlights on, make sure yours are on too. 2. A lot of drivers tend to use their full beams even in well-lit areas, because they believe they’re the only ones driving late at night. Full beams can blind and confuse others, particularly if they reflect off buildings. Be aware of those driving around you, and make sure to turn your full beams on or off as appropriate. If someone is driving towards you fully lit up, slow down to make sure their lights aren’t preventing you from seeing a dip or a bend in the road.
KILL YOUR SPEED 1. Speeding is never ok, but when driving at night in the cold the slower the better. You can’t always see ice on the roads, especially black ice, but this doesn’t mean it’s not there. No matter how quickly you want to get home, speeding around corners or down tight roads is only going to result in an accident. 2. Drive to the road ahead, not to the road in front! This is something your driving instructor would have told you, but you’ve probably forgotten. At night and in winter it’s important to anticipate the road ahead, rather than what’s directly in front of you. This is especially useful for spotting potholes or damaged bits of road that have resulted from cold weather. Late night driving can be tiresome but remember how important it is to be a safe driver. Make sure you’re nice and warm, the doors are locked and focus on the road.
Alexandra Goode @little_goode
Stay Safe Drinking at Christmas It's christmas time; the season for celebrating and over-indulging. If you're planning on driving to your Christmas party then read on for good alternative drinks to try, reasons you shouldn't feel bad about going sober and why even just having the one drink shouldn't be contemplated. Don't even say 'I'll just have one' - Don't let people talk to you in to having a drink. Go out having made the clear decision to not drink and be proud of yourself for sticking to it. - Accidents resulting from drink driving often happen early on in the journey - a short distance won't decrease your chances of an accident. - There is no way of guaranteeing that you will be under the limit if you've had alcohol. The amount of alcohol that can put you over the limit varies from person to person depending on things like weight, metabolism and what you've eaten that day. Good non-alcoholic drinks to go for - Try a fresh lime soda or tonic, it's really refreshing and doesn't look noticeably non-alcoholic if you're wanting to blend in with the crowd. - Ask what alcohol-free drinks they serve, some bars stock alcohol-free wine and beer. - If you're giving people lifts, see if they will offer to buy you a drink as a way of saying thank you. Don't feel bad about going sober for one night - Think of how fresh you will feel tomorrow and all the jobs you will be able to get done, free from a banging headache and sick feeling. - As the non-drinker you will most likely be shown the most respect, your ability to practice will power when alcohol is in sight will be admired. There are pros for non-drinkers - Maybe you're fed up with the way alcohol strips your body of its health (and sometimes dignity!) so choosing to drive is a good way to take a break from the poison for one night. - The next day you can help re-tell the embarrassing stories that for once you weren't a part of! - Some places do a free soft drink for drivers if you show your car keys, it's worth an ask. If you are driving, remember it's only for one night. If you really want to drink, have a taxi number saved ready for the end of the night and don't think about getting behind the wheel!
Sophia Alipour @SophiaAlipour
Stay Safe Emergency Car Kit As much as we’d all love to have snow without the dangerous icy road conditions, it’s just not possible. This makes travelling around in winter undesirable but for many people it’s also entirely unavoidable. I’ve drawn up a list of useful things to buy and keep in your car in case of emergencies, so make sure you all stay safe this driving this winter!
Any good kit will need to contain a torch. The one I’ve chosen is especially great because it’s waterproof and ‘super bright’. At £3.99 (RRP £9.99) it’s also a really affordable price.
Next up is the all-important blanket. Remember that if you get stuck in the snow it’s going to be freezing, so it’s essential that you have something to keep you warm. If you’ve got a few passengers in your car, don’t forget to pack more than one for any trips – short or long – they will really make the difference if you end up needing one. Make sure the blanket is big and ideally, fleece. The one I’ve picked here is perfect and a really great price of £4.40.
The AA has a great Emergency Car Shovel in case you find yourself stuck in ice or snow at any point. It’s £7.94 (RRP £14.99) and is lightweight, foldable for easy storage and also has a handy cover!
If you find yourself stranded at night, it can be difficult to gain people’s attention. Not only will the torch help out here, but so will this whistle. This whistle is ‘multi-functional’, featuring a mirror to signal in emergencies, a compass, the whistle itself and a waterproof match container and flint. For only £2.50, this is a really useful, cheap and easy to store tool that can potentially save you from some very tricky situations in the winter.
A First Aid Kit is also a very good idea. This one contains all the essentials you will need and, like most of the things I’ve suggested, is small and easy to store in your car. It’s £4.99, so a real bargain too.
The last item on my list is an emergency phone charger. We’ve all found ourselves with a dead battery when we need it most, and being caught in the bad weather is definitely a ‘need it most’ situation. This charger fits almost any kind of phone – but you can have a look around online and there will be one for yours.
Finally, it’s also a really good idea to take a road map of wherever you are travelling and extra food and drink with you when you go out. Keep them in your glove compartment rather than the boot to reduce risk of your drinks freezing. Hope you all have your winter car safety kits ready now! Stay safe and enjoy the season as best you can!
Lilly Farres @lillysrf