When you drive it is your responsibility to make sure your car is in the best shape possible.  Accidents usually happen due to human error, but sometimes they are caused by a malfunction in your vehicle.  It is imperative that you maintain your vehicle so that you can avoid any equipment malfunctions that could inadvertently cause an accident.  Vehicle manufacturers are obliged to make sure the automobiles they make meet at least the minimum standards set out by the law.  This is one of the reasons why they are constantly making improvements to their product to make them easy and safe to drive, including safety measures such as airbags and safety belts.

Brake systems are highly advanced dual circuit systems.  This keeps a complete brake failure from happening, but faulty brakes could keep a vehicle from slowing down or stopping properly.  Most vehicles are made with disc brakes and many have systems that keep them from the locking during an emergency.  Regardless of the type of transmission your car has, it should always hold the road.  Front wheel and rear wheel drive vehicles both handle differently on varied terrain, as does 4-wheel drive.  Know how your vehicle is supposed to handle before getting behind the wheel.

The inside of the vehicle is just as important.  Always make sure your seat is set so that you can easily reach the controls, see the road ahead, and are comfortable while driving.  Always use your safety restraints and make sure that any child that is traveling with you is also properly restrained, in a child safety seat if applicable, and away from air bags.  If your air bags do deploy due to an accident, make sure you have it replaced by a licensed technician.

Love them or hate them, motorway service stations are an important part of travel on these major roads. Following on from your successful driving test, it is very likely that you will have enrolled with a Pass Plus course at the Bill Plant School of Motoring, particularly if motorway driving is to form daily driving to and from work.

On longer journeys we are aware that tiredness is a major cause of accidents and we are advised to take a break when the first effects of tiredness become apparent. In the future when we stop at a motorway service area it is likely that there will be overnight parking for caravans and motorhomes. Service areas are to be awarded rating similar to those used by the hotel industry so soon we can look forward to an improvement in the standards. Remember it is important to take a break, 20% of accidents are caused through tiredness.