It is easy to blame crashes on other drivers or on the authorities. However, every motorist can take steps to ensure they are as safe as possible when taking to the road.

The car

1. Safety Rating - When you are buying a car, try to choose a safe model. Euro NCAP (www.euroncap.com) is an excellent source of information relating to the best models for crash protection.

When you are buying second-hand, look at this website too as it also contains information on older models.

Generally, the newer the car you buy, the better the protection you will get.

2. Safety features - Sometimes side airbags or ESP will be optional. ESP (electronic stability programme) is an electronic driver aid which can brake the individual wheels of a vehicle when a central computer determines - from factors such as wheel speed, movement of the vehicle's body and driver input - that the vehicle is about to go out of control.

ESP can brake each individual wheel until stability and control of the vehicle can be restored. These are considered critical safety items - there is always the chance that an extra airbag or the security of ESP could save your life.

More of these systems are being standardised now because of consumer demand and your car fitted with these options should be easier to sell on. Euro NCAP strongly recommends ESP.

If you are buying a used car try to find something with ABS (anti-lock brakes) fitted.

3. Brakes - There is little you can do here other than be conscious of any loss in braking performance.

Regular overall maintenance should see you right here but do be aware of the fact that your brake fluid will be visible under the bonnet.

Familiarise yourself with the location of the brake fluid reservoir and check it regularly, especially if you carry a lot of weight in the car.

A shudder through the pedal under normal braking could be a sign of warped brake discs. This will lessen braking performance and shorten the life of the brake pads. If you hit the brake pedal and you hear a grinding noise, generally accompanied by a certain amount of roughness through the pedal, your brake pads are shot.

ABS brakes prevent the wheels from locking under hard braking by pumping the brake system. This is a handy feature that has now been standardised in new cars sold in Ireland.

It is thought that ABS, also known as anti-lock braking, is as useful as airbags in saving lives in Europe, because ABS helps to prevent accidents happening at all.

One common misconception about ABS is that they shorten braking distances; they don’t. They merely prevent the wheels from locking up under braking. A tyre that has locked up (stopped rotating) is unable to influence the direction of the car as it is not rotating.

ABS allows the driver to apply full braking force while still allowing the driver to steer around the obstacle. Indeed, in dry conditions ABS can actually lengthen stopping distances so manufacturers have started improving braking systems with the fitting of EBD (electronic brake force distribution) and brake-assist. EBD controls the amount of brake force applied to each individual wheel so each wheel gets the correct amount of force to allow the car to pull up quickly and in a straight line.

Brake assist stems from research carried out by Mercedes-Benz in the early 1990s. They determined that many drivers apply an insufficient amount of braking pressure in an emergency situation.

Brake assist monitors both braking inputs from the driver and the speed of the vehicle and determines if an emergency situation is taking place before applying added pressure to the braking system.

The important thing to bear in mind is that no matter how sophisticated your brakes are you are still subject to the laws of physics so allow yourself room to stop.

According the RSA, a car travelling at 100km/h should have a three-second gap between it and any vehicle it's following or any vehicle that is following it.

4. Tyres - For years people have tried to save a few quid by buying low-grade tyres; it is false economy, especially when you stand on the brake and find you have no grip.

Stick with trusted brands and ask the fitter important questions. Sophisticated ABS disc brakes are great in an emergency, but if you have shoddy tyres you might as well stick your foot out the door.

The minimum thread depth of a tyre is 1.6 millimetres. Stick to this rigidly and be conscious of the fact that if the tracking (* see below) is out, tyre wear will accelerate either on part of the tyre or on one of the front tyres.

If you drive a powerful car a softer compound tyre would be suitable because it provides grip in hard cornering. For simple motorway or normal driving, a harder compound tyre will suffice as it trades some grip for durability.

Find a sympathetic fitter and stick with him as tyres are your only contact with the road and are crucial to your safety.

Replace any tyre that is damaged immediately and keep an eye on your tracking because if your tracking is out it will show up through your steering and prematurely wear out your tyres.

* Tracking is the angle of the front wheels in relation to the direction of the vehicle. Put simply, a car that tracks straight has both front wheels aligned properly so that when the vehicle is travelling in a straight line both wheels are also travelling in a straight line. If the tracking is out on one or both wheels it means that one of the wheels is effectively steering slightly in one direction, causing the vehicle to pull in that direction slightly. To test his, briefly let go of the wheel in safe conditions and if the car veers off in one or the other direction your tracking is probably out.

Choose a respected make of tyre and make sure it adheres to the recommended specification in terms of size. Keep a watchful eye on your tyre pressures, particularly if you carry loads regularly.

Remember that larger, wider tyres tend to have about the same or less grip in the wet than smaller, skinnier tyres so if you are driving a car on larger than normal wheels don’t assume you have better grip.

5. Lights - Defective lights are a common occurrence. Cars use light bulbs, always have and probably always will.

Check them regularly and replace them when necessary for two very good reasons:
a. Research carried out in Sweden showed that drivers reacted faster and more consistently to a vehicle with its lights on, regardless of the weather conditions. This is why Seat has standardised daytime running lights on newer models in their range. It is also why daytime running lights (dipped headlights) and tail-lights that can’t be switched off are now requirements in Sweden. It has been debated that they should be introduced across the EU although their introduction is still not inevitable.
b. If your car has a few inactive bulbs, you will fail your NCT and attract the attention of the Gardai.

So, if it is getting dark or if the sun is low in the sky, switch your lights on. Driving on a sunny day with your lights on might seem wasteful, but if the driver coming towards you is having difficulty because of a low sun, your lights give that driver a better chance of seeing you.

Don’t switch your fog lights on unless visibility is bad. Most fog lights are the equivalent of a main beam headlight mounted lower on the car and you could blind drivers coming the other way.

6. Seat Belts - Wearing your seatbelt is a must when you drive. The good news is that, according to statistics, many more of you are aware of that now.

Some tips:
a. Make sure all occupants are restrained in the car.
b. Don’t obscure the area around any airbag, not even with something as small as a sticker as this might have an adverse affect on the airbag’s function if you get involved in an accident.
c. If you sit a small child in the front, remember to always switch off the airbag.
d. Adjust your seat so you are not too close to the steering wheel; in a crash, the airbag will not have inflated fully by the time you hit it if you sit too close.
e. Adjust your headrest so that if you sit normally in the seat and lean your head back, it meets the headrest square on. If the headrest is too low, you run the risk of whiplash or a neck injury.
f. Make sure that all child occupants are in a correct child seat that is suitable for their age group. Remember that a large proportion of well-meaning parents don’t fit their child seats properly. When you buy a child seat ask for it to be fitted or seek the advice of an expert on how to use it. If you are in an accident, replace the seat even if it doesn’t look damaged.

The driving
1. According to the NRA, 88% of accidents that resulted in fatalities in 2004 were caused by driver behaviour. Specifically, driving too fast, driving while intoxicated or driving while too tired. The NRA also cites failure to restrain passengers and failure to spot vulnerable road users as examples of poor driver behaviour.

2. Don’t drink and drive. Even at the legal limit your driving is already impaired. According to a study that can be obtained on the Road Safety Authority website www.rsa.ie, even at the legal limit a tangible impairment can be found in a driver’s ability to make quick choices. Alcohol also contributes to drowsiness which is a major factor in road accidents. Bear in mind as well that Ireland’s drink-drive limit is higher than many other European countries so, while you might just be legal, you may still not be in the best state for driving.

3. Speeding is a controversial issue. While most people admit that excessive speed is irresponsible, a lot of people still speed, whether or not they might know it or admit to it. This is reflected in the statistics regarding penalty points. While many critics have argued that certain speed limits in Ireland are set too low, thereby guaranteeing almost no compliance, others argue that certain speed limits are set too high. Therefore while upper speed limits must be observed, a certain amount of judgement should also come into play. A 120km/h speed limit isn’t much use in heavy fog - as shown this year in the pileup on the M7 which resulted in the death of a young woman. Driving fast might have its thrill but people caught driving well in excess of the speed limit are more likely to have the book hurled at them these days. If that doesn’t convince you to ease up bear this in mind; very few accidents that occur beyond 120km/h are survivable.

4. Be especially conscious of driving through flood water. Select a low gear, slip the clutch (* see below), keep the engine revs high and the speed low. After driving through flood water tap the brakes a few times to clear the excess water off the discs. If your car is submerged in water don’t attempt to restart it. Cars that have been left in flood water can suffer electrical damage - an attempt to start it can set off the airbag.

* Slipping the clutch is where the driver applies engine revs or power and lifts his or her foot off the clutch to a certain degree but not enough to completely clear the clutch pedal. With the clutch half 'out' the car moves but the engines revs or engine speed is high in relation to the actual movement of the car itself. It is used commonly in off road driving, especially through water as the high engine speed prevents water entering the exhaust pipe, stalling the engine.

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