Having sufficient car insurance in place can give you the peace of mind that your vehicle is covered for a number of eventualities. However, what about peace of mind when it comes to your personal safety when driving?

Your safety when driving alone will depend, as much as anything, on your own preparedness for the journey, since there will be no one immediately at hand to help you in an emergency. This need not take weeks of planning but rather a few moments thought that can stand you in good stead whether a future journey is a short trip to the shops or a much longer drive.

Preparation

Your own safety will rely, in part, on the safety and reliability of the car you drive. If you keep it well maintained and regularly serviced, there should be less chance of it letting you down when you need it the most. There are also a number of items that you might want to consider keeping permanently in the vehicle, so that you do not have to remember taking them with you on every journey:

• Mobile phone – you probably have one, but do you always remember it? A possible solution is to buy a simple pay-as-you-go device that can be kept in the car at all times for use in emergencies (provided you remember to keep it topped up!).
• Recovery and rescue service – if you often drive alone, a roadside assistance and breakdown plan could pay dividends. If you have one, then it’s worth keeping the membership card, together with other important telephone numbers, permanently in the car. Check to see if your car insurance policy features inclusive breakdown cover.
• Road atlas or GPS - knowing where you are and where you are going can significantly increase your personal safety when driving alone.
• Torch - mishaps and accidents so often seem to happen at night when it’s pitch-black outside. A torch can be indispensable.
• A cloth or tissue - for cleaning windows, hands and annoying spills inside the car.
• A spare pair of glasses - if you wear them.
• Emergency cash - obviously securely hidden, together with a handful of coins, to buy parking tickets, for meters and toll roads.
• A first aid kit and a fire extinguisher.

Planning

If your journey is a long or unfamiliar one, time spent planning your route and consulting the map before you set out will pay dividends. It’s often worthwhile making a note to yourself of the directions.

These days of course a GPS or satellite navigation device is found useful by many people and will save the inconvenience of referring to a map. Practice using it on familiar journeys close to home in order to learn how to use it.

On the move

You need to be in a fit state to drive any time you get behind the wheel, but especially when you’re driving alone. Avoid driving, therefore, if you are tired, stressed or upset, or have consumed alcohol.

Inside your car can feel an inherently safe place to be and many people – especially the more vulnerable drivers such as women and the elderly – will feel even more secure driving with the doors locked. This can also be a deterrent against opportunistic snatch and grab thefts from your car whilst it’s stationary in traffic queues or at traffic signals - especially in congested towns and cities.

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