NERVOUSLY navigating flooded roads recently reminded me that it had been some time since I had had any defensive driving training.
Although online surfing was not an option as I clung to the steering wheel, once I was high and dry, the search for helpful road safety information online began. The Internet Highway did not disappoint. It paved the way to a number of helpful sites.
At Cumbria Safety Cameras site are being set up each week, but there are also links to other key sites.
The RAC gave a current report on which roads were closed due to flooding, accidents and windy conditions. This one is definitely worth a bookmark on the mobile phone with Internet access. Your passengers can get the information for you, or you can pull into the now crowded lay-bys with all the other mobile phone users.
For the hearty, this photographic site offers hundreds of images or bad driving conditions. That site was just for a pit stop. Real life images were available out the window.
According to Exchange and Mart motoring magazine online, out of the 250,000 accidents reported in Great Britain each year, more than one-third of those happen in wet conditions. Its advice centred on making sure all your equipment, especially tyres and windscreen blades, are in good working order, and keeping your speed down. Putting lights on is also helpful.
But by far the best rage release and advice site was this one. You register with the site, then you can report bad drivers in an online name and shame forum which includes displaying the make and model, registration number, colour, county and incident. You can search to see what has been reported in your area. Cumbria had no reports on the day of the search. It is early days yet.
Several corporate sites offered safe driving tips, from the UK Atomic Energy Authority site to Lancashire county's Road Safety Group. On Cumbria County Council's website, safe driving pamphlets are available for downloading.
It also advertises its Highways Hotline, a one-stop-shop, available on 0845-609-6609.
Many people have great ideas for sites, like on Safe Driving for Life. You have to cruise around to find a bit of useful information or links, and the database was not as up-to-date as it could have been. Never trust a site by its homepage. Always dig deeper to test how often it is updated. It was not the definitive site its name suggested.
The Highways Agency has a number of interactive new media options, including real-time traffic information advice on current conditions on major motorways. If your passenger has WAP access on their mobile, connect and see what lies ahead. Their contact number is 08457-50-40-30.
Responsible employers can go onto the Business Link Cumbria site and check out its Improved Management of Occupational Road Risk assessment and recommendation service. If your organisation has employees on the road, and you are interested in demonstrating commitment to health and safety in preventing or reducing accidents and improving your staff's safe driving skills, this information could help.
Safe driving training is also available for 4X4s and off-road drivers. If you already have a licence and experience, but want advanced safety training to go with the sport, visit this page. On the Drive Train site, you can find out about high performance and commercial/fleet driver training. With the variety of services available, there is no excuse for drivers to lack the skills they need to operate safely on the roads.
- Visit our Lakes Guide and Travel Watch and Weather sections for news and links to help you drive safely through the county.
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