As the Holy Month of Ramadan draws to a close, staying road safe this Eid holiday needs to be a priority for families heading off for a staycation. Why? Because the Eid holidays are also a time when the number of accidents on the road increase – especially during the pre-Iftar rush hour, when everyone is keen to get home in time to pray and break their fast.
CAFU and RoadSafetyUAE are therefore urging families who are going to be on the road to be #RoadSafeTogether with four important Ramadan Road Safety tips:
- Extra Care:
This is the most important one! Regardless of where you need to get to, or whether you are running late, prioritise safe driving over anything else – and that means remaining extra patient and vigilant with traffic and other drivers who will likely be in a hurry to reach their destination!
Staying road safe this Eid holiday also means to be extra careful and responsible for the lives of others, including food delivery superstars on bikes, parents heading home from work to be with their family, or people who are far from their families who are trying to met friends to break their fast together.
And if you’re not fasting, try to be extra considerate for those that are by staying away from the roads during the pre-Iftar rush, or being extra patient and careful. We all become road safety champions by avoiding speeding, cutting lanes, or any other reckless behaviour on the roads – guaranteed!
- Don’t risk it:
As fasting long hours with no food and water, and not enough sleep can definitely take its toll on our bodies, reaction time and focus, we are less likely to be as alert, and chances of feeling drowsy and perhaps even weak, especially when doing an activity like driving can be quite high. But at the same time, being alert when driving is an unequivocal must; so, if you feel sleepy, drowsy, or weak and don’t feel like you’re up to drive, then simply, don’t risk it. Arrange for alternative transportation, or should you feel drowsy while driving, pull over in a safe place and either wait until you feel better or ask a friend or family member to come get you.
- Plan and anticipate:
Ramadan and Eid come around every year, so by now, we should have a good understanding of what works best for us, our bodies, and when driving on the roads. So plan around rush hour in the mornings and during the pre-Iftar traffic rush. CAFU and RoadSafetyUAE advise you to make the necessary arrangements to leave at a time that works for you so that you aren’t rushing, be it leaving the house or office earlier, working from home, or being prepared to break your fast wherever you are.
Expect people tend to rush more and take more risks on the road – if you expect and anticipate this it will help you to be extra safe and cautious while driving – especially if you are driving with the family.
- Fix it:
While this holds true anytime of the year, the last thing you need during rush hour ahead of Iftar, or prior to a fun Eid getaway, is to have a tyre that seems to be giving way, a broken side mirror, or your car stopping in the middle of the road because of an unusual rattling sound or something you know if wrong. So, the important rule of thumb is that if you notice something is off, don’t wait – Fix it. Now!
#Roadsafetogether