New road safety pack could save lives as evenings draw in

Win a family mix Vispack® during National Road Safety Week (23 – 29 November 2009)

With the dark winter nights and mornings now upon us it is important to take extra caution when travelling on the roads. According to the road charity Brake more than 4 out of 10 deaths on roads happen during hours of darkness, despite there being less road users at this time. With this in mind Vispack® is warning road users to be vigilant when driving, especially at night.

In Bristol, in particular, there have been lots of problems in recent months with the M5 being shut for hours, leaving people wandering over the motorway. It is situations like these when people realise how vulnerable they are. It is important to stay visible on the roads, especially at night, so high visibility clothing should be worn at all times if leaving the car at the side of the road for any reason.

Vispack® is a new road safety pack, otherwise known as The Driver’s Hub containing five high-visibility reflective vests to be worn in the event of a vehicle emergency and also contains an essential information card for drivers to record life-saving medical and emergency contact information about themselves, as well as essential vehicle details and roadside assistance contact information.  The pack also comes with a road collision form to record key information at the scene of an incident that would be required to make an insurance claim.

Vispack® is offering some helpful tips to help reduce the likelihood of either accidents or breakdowns over the dark winter months:

Be prepared: Before a long journey, plan your route ahead, tell someone at your destination when you expect to arrive. Check the weather forecast before you leave, if conditions prove treacherous; think about your journey and whether it is essential.

Think ahead: In an event of an accident or breakdown, make sure you carry the high visibility vest in the actual car, whether it is in your glove box, foot well netting or behind the front seat – but never carry it in the boot. There are two reasons for this; if your vehicle is hit in the rear it may prevent easy access to your vest, and secondly, the driver will have to exit the vehicle without wearing a vest to retrieve it from the boot.

Wear a high visibility vest: exiting your car in the event of a collision or an unforeseen circumstance puts you at immediate risk of severe injury or even death.  Wearing a visibility vest is essential and enables other road users to easily identify you.

In the case of a serious accident: Make sure you have a road collision form to ensure that essential details are captured at the scene of an accident. It may be useful to have personal contact details and essential medical information available to hand within the vehicle for the emergency services to act upon – it could save your life in the event of medical emergency.

Things to keep handy in the car: High visibility vest, scraper and de-icer, warning triangle, jump leads, fully charged mobile phone, first aid-kit, warm coat and a blanket.

Icy conditions: In icy conditions multiply stopping distances by 10. Use the highest gear possible to avoid wheel spinning and manoeuvre gently.

Car checks: Cars have a harder time during the winter so make sure you have done some simple checks – oil, water, anti-freeze, windscreen washer, tyre pressures, headlights and sidelights.

Nick Mills, managing director of Vispack® comments, “Every road user who values the safety of themselves and their family or passengers should want to take this inexpensive, precautionary measure and ensure a Vispack® is on board.  The affordable pack is a safeguard to all family members, should they have to leave the car at the side of the road for any reason. It is not only there to protect the passengers of a car, but also there is a social obligation to protect all other road users, so it is important to be visible at the side of the road, and as such the vests should be worn as needed whether day or night.”

As it is National Road Safety Week this week (23 -29 November 2009) Vispack® have three family mix packs to give away to readers (worth £16.95 each). The family mix packs allow you to select the sizes of the high visibility vests to meet your family’s requirements. To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question:

Where should you store your Vispack®?

A.In the car
B.In the boot
C.At home

Email your answer with the subject line ‘Vispack’, along with your name, address and contact telephone number to: competitions@chopsybaby.com

Competition closes at midnight on 19 December 2009