It is crucial that any driver on South African roads be, first and foremost, in a fit state to drive, and so contribute to overall road safety. This article mainly looks at the physical condition of the driver and how it impacts on road safety.1
Are you fit enough to drive? 1
Driving can be physically demanding, which implies that the driver must be sufficiently fit to cope. Drivers must be able to hear and see well, and for this reason, drivers in South Africa have their eyesight tested every 5 years. The only downside of this is that the test doesn’t cater for the driver whose eyesight begins to deteriorate 2 years after being tested. Yet the motorist can continue to drive with poor eyesight for the remaining 3 years. Reaction time to any potential danger on the road can also deteriorate with age but is never tested.
What about older drivers? 1
Research has shown that, in general, drivers need to make 15 important decisions for each kilometre driven on the road. The challenge is that the older you get, the longer it takes to react to information. Seeing the number of older drivers is increasing, this section of drivers needs special consideration. By conducting regular exercise, senior citizens can improve their driving ability and thus contribute to good road safety. This has been shown by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine.
Older drivers need to exercise1
Going for 20-minute walks every day is a great way to exercise. Other forms of exercise include playing some sport and gardening.
Let’s look at Formula 1 drivers1
You can’t get a better driver than a Formula 1 driver concerning driving skills and physical fitness. To keep perfect concentration for the entire race doesn’t come by itself, but only through thorough physical training. They experience a three-fold increase in pulse rate, a 50% increase in blood pressure, and lose about 2- 3 litres of water during a race. The neck experiences lateral G-forces, which means specific muscles need to be developed. Although the average motorist will not experience such stress, the importance of fitness and training must not be overlooked.
What are the aims of physical exercise? 1
Increasing your heart rate and lung capacity are some of the goals to achieve. In addition, regular exercise improves your sleep as well as your health and emotional wellbeing. A few hours of exercise per day is recommended, and that’s why many people go to the gym after work. This is ideal, as your body has then sufficient time to rest before going to sleep. Running, biking, and swimming are great ways to exercise.
But I don’t belong to a gym1
Don’t despair – you can take the stairs instead of the escalator or lift, cycle to work or park your car far from the mall entrance if safe to do so.
The whole idea behind physical fitness is that the driver stays alert and concentrates while driving, thus adding to road safety in general. In the same way, have you looked after your car by ensuring it is protected with good car insurance cover? Contact PMD who can provide you with information about their affordable car insurance products.
Source:
1 https://www.arrivealive.co.za/Physical-Fitness-for-Safe-Driving-Road-Safety
This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.