Heading home for the holidays? 13 ways to ensure you arrive safely

With only a few days left until Xmas and then the new year, many will be hitting the roads heading back to villages to home towns on Nigeria’s expressways out of the cities.

Like every year, the roads will be choc a bloc Christmas Eve from around noon so make sure you leave early to avoid the traffic jams of people trying to escape the city.

It also means that desperation will prevail so roads will be that much more dangerous as people will take serious risks to get in front and get to their destination. The number of accidents during the holiday season is known to increase dramatically so please do take care.

So, what’s the best way to ensure the safety of you, your loved ones and other drivers on the road?

First, if you’re planning in advance and even if you got your car serviced recently, it’s a good idea to have it checked anyway so that any small fault can be made right instead of you finding yourself stranded miles away from anywhere.

Before you travel, make sure you do the following checks:

1. Check your lights:

You’ll need to trafficate, brake, drive through foggy conditions, perhaps even drive in the early hours- all of these require working head lights. Replace any bulbs that have burnt out and have some spares just in case.

Make sure that your headlights are adjusted correctly – ensuring that light beams offer adequate viewing distance, without being adjusted too far upwards, causing visibility problems for oncoming motorists.

 

2. Check your windows & wipers:

Don’t rely on air conditioning, you’re definitely going to need a back up. So if your windows are automatic, check to make sure that all windows go up and down, are in good condition and that any cracks or chips are repaired. A damaged windscreen not only reduces visibility, but also limits the windscreen’s ability to protect you if it rains or if there’s an accident.

Nigerian rain is no joke so don’t play around with your wiper blades. Check to make sure all the mechanisms are performing well and that it makes a clean sweep every time.

3. Check your wheels and tyres:

An obvious one is to make sure that each of your tires has adequate tread. The legal limit is 1mm of tread, but anything below 3mm limits the tire’s ability to function effectively.

Check to see if your vehicle’s tires are wearing evenly. Uneven wear can indicate a worn steering or suspension component, an over or under inflated tire or bad wheel alignment and/or balancing.
Make sure that you carry a spare wheel that is in good condition and that you have the correct jack and other tools to remove a damaged wheel and tire. A vulcaniser may not be available on every corner like you’re used to.

 

4. Check your brakes:

Check your vehicle’s brake fluid level and top it up if necessary. Then, ensure that all brake discs, drums and pads are in good condition, performing well and that they are wearing evenly. Do an emergency stop test to make sure. Any uneven wear, strange noises or vibrations from the braking system should be reported to your mechanic and fixed.

5. Check your suspension:

We don’t need to tell you about the state of Nigeria’s roads. You’re bound to hit a pothole or two. So make sure that your vehicle’s shock absorbers and other suspension systems are keeping the tires firmly on the ground.

If your vehicle’s ride quality is harder than it normally is, it rolls a lot when turning into corners or needs a longer distance to stop. Worn or damaged suspension parts like shocks or struts may need to be replaced.

6. Check your battery:

Test your vehicle’s battery to make sure that it’s delivering the correct charge and, in the case of serviceable batteries, that the battery water is topped up.

 

7. Check your belts and chains:

Check to make sure that all belts and chains connected to the cam, alternator, fan and other components are in good condition. Broken belts and chains can cause major engine damage, and inconvenience.

8. Check your Cooling system:

You do not, I repeat, you do not want to drive any sort of long distance without a functioning air conditioning system. Check that the radiator and water pump are functioning correctly. Also make sure that the radiator cap seals properly and that the coolant fluid is clean and top
ped up to the correct level.

9. Check your filters and fluids:

Another obvious one. Make sure that all major filters – oil, air and fuel filters – are clean and functioning well. When you change the oil filter, make sure that you drain all old oil from your vehicle and replace it with new oil that matches the vehicle manufacturer’s specifications. Make sure that all fluids are at their recommended levels. Fix any leaks.

10. Check your exhaust system:

Give the exhaust system a good once over to check for any leaks. A damaged exhaust system will not only cause vehicle performance- and fuel consumption issues, but also poses a serious health risk.
11. Check body panels, mountings and accessories:

We have to say it because to most Nigerians, vehicles are there to carry double their load. If you are carrying a load and I’m almost certain you’ll be bringing all sorts of gifts back to your friends and family, make sure that all body panels, mountings and accessories – including tow bars and the trailers etc. attached to them, are properly fastened and secured. The same applies to any load your vehicle may be carrying.

Just make sure that your vehicle isn’t overloaded.

12. Safety / warning equipment:

God willing, nothing will happen to you but if it does, you need to be prepared. Be sure to have at least a reflective triangle or flashlight handy to warn oncoming motorists when your car has broken down. The palm branches can always be added later. Many drivers rely on their vehicles’ emergency indicators only, not bearing in mind that these may not be visible in foggy, rainy or dark conditions. And in the case of an electrical fault / battery trouble, these may not be available.

13. Check your insurance:

Finally, make sure that you have adequate car insurance in place, and all support/emergency numbers at hand, in case something does happen.

If you need any advice on insurance, call CHD and we can advise.

Lagos’ Potholes: What’s the damage please?

Yepa! Try avoiding those potholes pictured here. Driving around a pothole can often be as risky as driving straight into them!

Hitting a pothole can cause a variety of wheel and tyre problems. Initial impact on a vehicle can cause buckled wheels, cracks, lumps in the tyre, cracked alloys and it can even knock out the tracking and wheel balancing (repairs that will cost you quite a lot down the road).

A recent report in the UK found that a third of all recorded vehicle damage is as a result of potholes. But Lagos has redefined potholes. These are death traps. So the figure is more like 60% given the state of our roads.

Potholes are mainly caused by rainfall that finds its way into the cracks in the road and while the road expands and contracts the cracks become bigger. The repeated movement by motorists causes even more damage and without proper maintenance and patchwork repairs, the cycle continues.

Vehicles struggle to use the only good patch on many major roads and then even the supposed good patch is not good. In more severe cases, it can lead to drivers losing control of their vehicles and being involved in an accident.

Advice to drivers
The following useful tips may help if you are driving on roads with potholes:

Keep your eyes peeled – Protect yourself and your car by keeping an eye out for potholes and watching your speed, particularly in wet weather when deep potholes may be hidden beneath puddles.
Maintain your distance – Leave plenty of distance between your car and the vehicle in front so you can see potholes in advance.
Stay alert – Be aware of other traffic or pedestrians on the road before changing course to avoid a pothole.
Watch your speed – Striking potholes at higher speeds can cause more damage to your vehicle.
Avoid unnecessary braking – Try not to apply your brakes when driving over a pothole. When you brake you tilt the vehicle forward placing more stress on the front suspension.
Drive over potholes with care – If you have to drive over a pothole, allow the wheel to roll freely into the hole.
Hold the steering wheel correctly – Make sure you are holding the steering wheel properly – ‘10 to 2’ hands position – when driving on a road with potholes – failure to do so may mean you lose control of your vehicle.
Recovering lost parts – If your vehicle sustains damage while travelling, such as a lost hubcap, ensure you stop in a safe location before attempting to recover it.
Safety first – If you wish to inspect any damage to your car, ensure that you stop in a safe place.
Get checked out – If you have hit a pothole and suspect your car has sustained damage, we recommend you get the vehicle checked out by your local garage. Ask them to verify if there could be any other issues such as problems with tracking and wheel alignment, tyres or suspension.
Check tyre pressure regularly –checking your tyre pressure regularly to ensure safety as a line of defence against potholes. Recommended tyre pressures can be found in your vehicle’s handbook and on the label located inside the driver’s side door frame or doorpost.

10 Things to do if you get into an accident

CHD often get calls from clients in a panic saying they just got into an accident and don’t know what they should do. We put together this fairly obvious but somehow much needed reminder of the top 10 things we should do in case of accident. This will help you to claim compensation from your insurers as well as follow up with police, LASTMA or whomever else may need to be involved in future…

1. Don’t panic!
2. Check for physical injuries
3. Make sure it is safe to exit your vehicle
4. RECORD THE LICENSE PLATE NUMBERS     OF ANY OTHER VEHICLE (S) INVOLVED
5. Use your phone camera to take a picture of the scene of the accident from the four compass points (N, S, E, W)
6. Take pictures of the damage to the vehicles
7. Take pictures of the surrounding vicinity –road markings and signs
8. Request contact and insurance details from the other party: name, address, telephone number, insurer & insurance-policy number
9. Take the details of any witnesses present esp. Police, LASTMA or unrelated bystanders
10. Give CHD a call on 07000 ‘CLAIMS’ and we’ll take it from there.

P.s – Don’t call us whilst you are driving!‎