Alcohol consumption It takes around an hour for the body to cleanse itself of the effects of one drink. Contrary to popular belief, black coffee and cold showers or jumping up and down do not help.

The more you drink, the more chance of an accident At .05, the risk of you having an accident is about double of you in a sober state. At .08 the risk is over three times higher. At .1, it's seven times. At .15, it's 26 times.

Sleep at home, not at the wheel Around 30% of serious crashes are the direct result of motorists who insist on driving on, even when they know they're too tired to continue.

Drowsy drivers die Opening a window or having the radio on loudly will not prevent you from falling asleep. What you need is real sleep. Pull over and have a short sleep. Even 15 minutes can be the difference between getting there and not.

Blind spots The 'blind spot' can be a real killer. Before changing lanes, take a quick glance over your shoulder to see if a car is in your 'blind spot', then move off carefully.

Braking distances Here’s why you should keep a safe distance. If you need to brake and you're travelling at 60 km/h, your car travels approx. 10 metres before your brain gets the message, and you apply the brakes. At 100 km/h it's approx. 18 metres. Avoid the rear end crash To avoid a rear-end collision, allow one car length for every 15km/h of speed. A car travelling at 60km/h covers 16.7 metres a second.

Don’t get too close At 100 km/h the minimum distance needed to stop is 80 metres. If you’re too close, there's only a 55 metre space in which to stop.

Overtaking distance It can take one and a half kilometres to overtake a commercial truck travelling at 100km/h. Make sure you have plenty of clear road ahead.

The three-second gap For safety, allow a three-second gap between you and the car in front. To work out the three-second gap, choose a fixed item such as a tree or lamp post and make sure you pass it about three seconds after the car in front does.  

Car first aid kit Make one up of Sterile adhesive bandages. Sterile gauze pads. Small bar of soap. Antibiotic ointment. Plastic bottle of water (washing). Small scissors. Splinter forceps. Triangular bandage. Roll of stretchable gauze. Flashlight. Money for phone. Single-edge razor blade. Two boards (lightweight) for splints. Large safety pins.

Children Approximately 400 children in Australia are killed or injured in car crashes each year because of incorrectly fitted child restraints. Check carefully and adjust properly.

Child Safety fact Crash at 60 km per hour and the impact upon an unrestrained child is equivalent to that child falling from a fourth floor window.

40km/h = 2 storeys A collision with another vehicle, even at the relatively low speed of 40km/h., is the same as falling from a two-storey building onto hard, unforgiving concrete.

Driving in fog Don’t drive through fog with your high beams on. They cause a 'white-out' effect, which reduces vision dramatically.

Driving in the wet It takes twice as long to stop in wet weather as it would otherwise, so be extra careful.

Less grip on wet roads At 80km/h, a car's tyre has a thousandth of a second to clear away the water and provide road adhesion. At higher speeds, a tyre (no matter how advanced its traction might be said to be) will 'ride' rather than penetrate the film of water on the road. It can be like skating on ice.

There’s no safe seat Statistics show that if you are not wearing a seat belt, you’ll suffer worse injuries in the event of an impact, no matter where you sit.

Belt up Even if you’re just going around the corner. Most accidents occur within 10 km of the victim's home. No trip's too short.

The law and belts It is illegal for a driver and their passengers not to wear seat belts. It's up to drivers to insist their passengers put on their seat belts. Both the driver and their passengers, can be fined, and, in some States, lose demerit points.

Which type of windscreen? If you do a lot of high-speed country driving, consider laminated windscreens. A stone will just 'craze' around the impact area rather than shatter the whole windscreen which is far more dangerous. Ask your Repco Auto Repairer for advice.

Emergency fire-extinguisher A can of beer or soft drink, well shaken, can act as an emergency fire extinguisher.

House bricks aren’t made for cars Don’t use house bricks to support a car. They can crumble under the car's weight. Always use axle stands or drive-up ramps.

Safe tyre tread The minimum amount of tread, which provides a secure grip, is around 3.5mm - about the depth of a match-head. Less than 1.6mm is an offence by law. And they don’t stop you, then maybe neither will the car.