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10 Tips for Driving Safely in Australia
We pick up our hire care today. From my pre-trip research, these are my top 10 tips for driving safely in Australia that I thought it was worth sharing with you to make sure we all have a hassle free trip:
- Before you head off, make sure you know where you’re going and plan your trip properly in advance.
- Mobile phone coverage is sparse once you’re outside of main towns, so don’t rely on your ‘phone – make sure you have GPS + a good old-fashioned map handy.
- Check road conditions before you set-off. Rainfall, bushfires and other natural events can cause havoc and lead to major detours and travel delays. Check before you travel on the DFES website
- Carry a spare tyre, car jack and spare battery.
- Always pack ample water and carry some food in case you get stranded.
- Local rangers – good for non emergency issues like litter, abandoned vehicles etc:
- Animals on The Road – watch out for roos ands cattle, particularly at dusk or at night. Avoid driving in the dark if you can as headlights may scare animals and cause an accident. For sick or injured wildlife – call the Wildcare Helpline on (08) 9474 9055.
- Stay Fuelled Up – in remote locations, there are few fuel stations, sop make sure you know how far you can travel with what you have in your tank and fill up whenever you can. Plan your trip using the fuel planning website.
- When meeting a road train (see photo above) on a narrow bitumen road, you have two options – (i) retain your 50 percent of the bitumen (which the law provides for) or (ii) pull off the bitumen and leave it for the larger vehicles. Once you have made your choice, act immediately. If you choose (i), slow down and move over, keeping you nearside wheel on the bitumen. (Prepare for flying stones and dusty conditions!). If you choose (ii), slow down, pull right off the bitumen and allow the larger vehicles to pass. THIS IS THE BETTER OPTION!” David Yeadon – Lost Worlds: Exploring the Earth’s Remote Places
- Some Useful Numbers:
- Emergency Services (emergency only) – 000
- Police – 131 444
- Fire – 133 337
- Ambulance – 9334 1222
Useful Websites
