Keeping Safe on the Road

Love My Car knows that driving can be great fun, but it can also be dangerous and we should all be aware of what we can do to keep ourselves, and others, safer on the roads. On this page we'll look at some of the ways to avoid trouble, but first we recommend that you visit the Road Safety Charity, Brake, to understand some of the hard facts.

How to avoid getting lost

There are some things we at Love My Car recommend you should do to avoid getting lost:

Make sure you have a road atlas in the car with you, as well as your satnav.
- Green Flag, the breakdown organisation, advises you to always carry a map book so that, should you get lost, you can explain where you are.
Plan your journey before you leave – know the route you are going to take

Contact the Highways Agency before you leave to make sure there are no diversions in place on your chosen route

Carry a mobile phone that is fully charged, or an emergency phone charger that is compatible with your phone.
- Love My Car offers and 'on the go' mobile phone charger that can be left in the glove box in case of emergencies. Just activate the batteries to give around 20 minutes of talk time. Check the list of compatible phones on our website to make sure it will fit your mobile, or leave a compatible pay as you go phone in the car.

What to do if you breakdown on the road

No matter how much care you take of your car, breakdowns do happen and can be very stressful situations. Try to stay calm and follow some basic guidelines to keep yourself, your passengers and other road users, safe. Love My Car suggest the following;

If you have a Love My Car Make Me Safer box, read the Love My Car leaflet (produced in association with Suzy Lamplugh Trust) on what to do if you breakdown. Click to view our leaflet.

Always take notice of the warning lights on your car dashboard and respond to them

Keep an emergency supply of 500ml of oil with you in the car. When a red light is displayed on your dashboard it means your engine is seriously low on oil. Top up immediately – your engine can seize up if you don't! The Love My Car “Make Me Safer” box includes 500ml of fully synthetic oil that can be put into any car engine (diesel or petrol) when this emergency situation arises. Click to see more details .

Keep your windscreen wash reservoir topped up to maintain good visibility especially in foggy conditions, night driving and to help with sun glare. Carry a supply with you in the car. Love My Car offers 500ml of windscreen wash that can be added neat to the washer tank and diluted later to make it last longer.

Carry a warning triangle.

Carry a charged mobile phone, or a compatible emergency mobile phone charger.

Love My Car offers an 'On the Go Phone Charger' that can be left in the glove box fo emergencies. Just activate the batteries to give around 20 minutes talk time. Check the list of compatible phones on our website to make sure it will fit your phone, or leave a compatible 'Pay as You Go' phone in the car.
Green Flag suggests that if you can call for help easily by means of a mobile phone or a nearby payphone, do so, then stay in the car and lock the doors.

Love My Car recommends you consider getting breakdown cover for your car. There are various different types that cover you when you breakdown on the road – some will even get you going if your car won’t start at home. Green Flag is an organisation that has provided road side assistance for many years and has won Your Money Magazine's award for being the 'Best online breakdown cover provider for four years running. Click here for more details.

Remember – pushing a car is not a good workout, so take steps to avoid it!

Keep Safe

Remember that it is your responsibility to look after yourself; you owe it to your loved ones to keep yourself safe. Love My Car recommends that you browse the Suzy Lamplugh website where they have lots of tips for women on keeping safe.

There is new book on the market called “Mind Driving” by Stephen Hayley. It explains in simple terms exactly the skills you use every day to stay safe on our roads – and they are not the obvious ‘hands and feet’ skills that your driving instructor taught you. Instead they are complex and subtle self-taught mental processes that we use unconsciously – we look for danger, recognise it and actively control it. Love My Car recommends that you get a copy.