Safety Tips for Women Drivers

• Statistics show that more women are travelling by car than ever before, more often alone or with children. However, statistics show that women drivers don’t necessarily feel comfortable about doing so. In fact, a recent survey showed: Nearly one in three women admit to feeling uneasy, nervous or even scared while driving their motor car alone.
• The majority of women drivers actually say they worry more about engine failure (breakdown) or getting a flat tyre while travelling alone or with children. And they aren’t the only ones who are concerned, 50 percent of survey respondents say their families are concerned about women who drive their motor vehicles whilst being alone. Sixty-four percent of women car drivers are concerned about driving through a dangerous or isolated area, compared to 46 percent of men. And 62 percent of women car drivers are concerned about their children’s safety whilst in the car, compared to 56 percent of men.
• With these results in mind, it is interesting to note how many companies are accommodating such facts when it comes to offering help and advice to female drivers.
• In general, advice and information for women drivers is good and there are quite a few deals available for peace of mind products such as motor vehicle breakdown assistance which offers for many a vital helping hand whenever the unexpected happens.
• Besides from the commercial products that are presented to help female drivers overcome some of their main concerns there are also some simple tips that women car drivers should adhere to as standard day to day driving practice. Here are some examples of good driving habits:
• Avoid driving in extreme weather conditions when really do no have to
• Even though cleaning you car might be laborious make sure certain keys elements are kept clean at all times, particularly headlights, brake lights and reverse lights. And also ensure these elements are always in perfect working order
• Check tyre pressures and tread depths regularly, tyres are the parts of the motor car that keep you and your vehicle in direct contact with the road, look after them and replace them when required. If you know little about this area then simply pop into your nearest car tyre dealer and ask for advice. Ensure that your spare tyre is also in good shape and ready to use should the unexpected happen. Just because it is the spare tyre most of the time imagine how important it will become if you suffer an unexpected puncture
• Fasten your seat belt before you drive off and ensure passengers, particularly children are securely fastened into their seats or their respective approved child car seats, don’t be ignorant to how easy it is for children to be seriously injured or even killed in collisions even at low speed when they are not securely fastened into the seats
• When driving alone female drivers should ensure they lock the vehicle doors as soon as or before they drive off.
• Keep the vehicle doors locked at all times to keep intruders out
• Never leave valuables on show and never leave keys in the ignition even when you are just filing up at the petrol station
  Nearly everyone has a mobile phone today and they can be great utilities to have if you suffer and unexpected breakdown. However always ensure, as with all other valuables you carry in your motor car that you keep it safely out of sight and do not under any circumstances use the phone whilst you are driving
• Never reach down for items that you have placed on the floor or dropped on the floor whilst you are driving, pull over at a safe opportunity to accommodate the same. Many accidents are caused by split second distractions from reading the road ahead. The most important difference between being a good driver and a safe driver is the ability to constantly read the road, in front, to the side and the rear. Good use of mirrors is instilled from the first driving lesson you will have and one that should never be forgotten.
  Never under any circumstances drink alcohol and drive. Many people make personal judgements about how much they can drink before they are ‘over the limit’ but there is one limit everyone can work to as the safe level and that is the zero limit. Simply said, when it is your turn to drive, do not drink any alcohol
• Consider making yourself a comprehensive ‘emergency kit’ to keep in the car boot, which might include a small first aid kit, torch, comprehensive road atlas, bottled water, chocolate bars (ensure water and chocolate are changed regularly), large blanket, maybe an emergency mobile phone, some people will buy a second, cheap pay as you go phone, a good tip is to ensure you have an in car charger to keep the battery charged and to make sure you do not take the phone out of the car. Just make sure you have a small amount of credit on the phone for that emergency situation.
  Put a pen and paper in your kit just in case you are involved in an accident and need to take third party details. Talk Once insurance providers offer some great peace of mind products such as camera packs and key ring protection products that make great fillers for your emergency kits. Finally make sure, if you have taken care to take out car breakdown cover, make sure you have access to the number by putting it on display on your windscreen or placing it in you emergency kit. This all might seem a little excessive but should the unexpected happen you will soon thank yourself for your early consideration.
• Try never to run your vehicle on the lowest level of fuel, try and have the mentality that the half way mark is the time to fill up
• It might seem a little harsh to any legitimate hitch hickers out there but our advice to women drivers is firm, do not pick up strangers and in emergency situations that you might come across, stay save yourself and where possible call the emergency services to deal with the situation