Traffic congestion is quite common in Jamaica’s cities and towns. Therefore, there is always a challenge in congested areas such as: Kingston and St Andrew, Spanish Town, Old Harbour, May Pen, Mandeville and Montego Bay. As various users share the...
Being distracted while driving is a sure recipe for disaster. Yet, it can be an easy task to accomplish on our busy roadways in Jamaica. However, as defensive drivers, we have to be focused and read the road continuously. Distractions from the...
As we travel through the various streets, lanes, and highways, let us as conscious Jamaican motorists resolve to change our undesirable driving and drive safely. The objective is to save precious lives, time, and money. “A driver’s attitude is a...
Are you a defensive driver? Are you a caring driver who drives for the other motorist? Are you truly concerned about the spiralling accident rate, which, from all indications, has spilled over into 2022? Well, let us focus on components of a...
Speed kills despite the thrill it carries. An erratic pace, punctuated by bursts of great speeds and inconsiderate creeping can be dangerous. The greater the speed, the greater the impact. The advanced driver-training course clearly states that...
Anger and strong emotions affect safe driving on our Jamaican roads. Emotions constantly change. You can be very angry one moment and much less angry a few minutes later. Strong emotions interfere with reasoning, which is important for the decision-making part of the defensive-driving task. Strong emotions, such as anger, block out or limit a person’s ability to reason.
It will not be a jolly good 2022 if we fail to cut the careless and reckless driving for the new year. “We need to stop the dangerous driving on the roads, and make it easy for the other driver,” says Sophia Dean. “Drive within the speed limit,...
Aside from its unquestionable benefits as a safety device, a seat belt can be a great help to driver stability. A seat belt tends to keep you in position, preventing you from slouching or sliding. The extreme forces that come to bear in a collision...
The tyres on your car lead a very hard life, from flexing hundreds of miles every minute, to rolling over deep potholes, manholes, rough asphalt, concrete, stone and gravel. They also slide on patches of oil, splashing through water, mud and...
There is an axiom which states that prevention is better than cure. Therefore, it is better and safer to take precaution, rather than wait until it is too late; this also applies to car care. “A car is a useful but a highly complicated device that...
Mirror! Mirror! on your car, does it keep you safe by far? Yes, mirrors play a significant role in the proper handling of your motor vehicle. Would it be entirely safe to drive from say Red Hills or Stony Hill to downtown without any form of mirror...
There is an axiom that states that prevention is better than cure. Therefore, it is better and safer to take precaution rather than wait until it is too late. This also applies to car care. “A car is a useful but a highly complicated device that...
As you traverse the Jamaican roads, can you predict what the other driver may do? Could you predict that driver in front may turn right, left or overtake or stop suddenly? Through defensive driver education programmes, the concept of predicting...
Are we always in the right frame of mind to drive a vehicle? When a motorist slips behind the wheel of a motor car he automatically becomes a vital part of this complex but useful machine. If the driver is both physically and mentally prepared and...
A stuck accelerator is crisis. What would you do if your accelerator got stuck? Would you panic, get frantic or get busy? Well, try to remain calm. What is the accelerator? The accelerator is the pedal in a motor vehicle that the driver presses...
Every driver needs a safety box, before navigating the Jamaican roads. “Prevention is better than cure,” goes an old adage. As drivers, with regard to the recent lockdown, curfew, limited movement, overcrowded bus stops, rushing motorists and...
In Jamaica, difficult driving conditions can lead to tensions and frustrations. Very often, other drivers interfere with your planned path of travel. They suddenly slow down in front of you, stop suddenly in front of you, indicate to turn left but...
The spark plugs are a vital part of the operation of the vehicle. Poor performance of your vehicle can sometimes be traced to the plugs. If points and plugs are clean and gapped; if the engine’s timing is on the mark; if the wiring is in good...
When we communicate to prevent a collision, that is a good sign. Whenever we communicate with or to the other motorist, it is an indication that we believe in road safety. Communication, according to the Oxford Dictionary is about sending messages...
The cost of fuel is expensive and, up to August 2021, prices range from $ 89.00, $92.00, $180.00, $200.00 to $203.00 per litre, depending on where it is sold. “Every week, the price of gasoline goes up and the pocket burns while the tank suffers...
Do we understand the expression ‘yielding the right of way’? Many of us drivers are always in a hurry to get nowhere, while others drive in a manner to save lives, time, money and peace of mind. “I travel within the speed limit, I am always...
Defensive driving is intelligent driving. It means driving to save lives, precious time and limited money. It means being alert and fully aware of the road and acting in time and on time. Intelligence, according to the Oxford Dictionary, means “...
Regularly, they weave in and out of heavy traffic. They are easy to manoeuvre the busy streets in the city. They can move individuals without much delay. They are a means of transportation in some areas within our island. However, are they always...
When a driver sits behind a motor vehicle, he, in a sense, has become a part of the machine. “If the driver is both physically and mentally able to fulfil his end of the partnership, the motor vehicle will give of its best,” says Dr Andrew Burton....
It was the Spanish proverb which posits that “A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools”. As a motor car driver, at times you are tired, fatigued, and worn out. You may not even be functioning...
