Christmas is getting closer, and we cannot wait to have some days off with our family and friends. At the same time, we all know how stressful Christmas can be sometimes. Christmas dinners, events, guests coming over, gifts etc. But what would all this be worth if an accident were to occur? Probably all of you would answer nothing on this question.

Please take your time and read through this article to ensure you are arriving safe and to pay attention on the way to your Christmas holiday and events this year.

An accident-prone holiday in traffic

Christmas and New Year’s days is one of the biggest holidays for traffic throughout the year and these are also two of the days when most accidents occur on the roads. Only during the past decade, the Swedish insurance company ‘IF Skadeförsäkring’ reports that 142 people have died and over 10 000 people have been injured in car accidents during this period – and that is ONLY in Sweden…

The roads that have the highest risk of serious car accidents are country roads which do not provide any dividers in between the different travel directions. These roads are very common in the north of Europe and normally have a high-speed limit.

Keep your distance

Of course, you should always pay attention to all kind of roads, but especially during these days. With more traffic, the distance between cars often decreases and people are in general very stressed during this period. Make sure to always keep your distance, even if you are on a country road up in the north or in the middle of the city centre, a great distance can save you in many cases.

For those of you celebrating Christmas in a cold, snowy and icy country, the braking distance increases very much during this period due to conditions on the road which results in longer breaking distances needed than normal. This is another good reason for keeping further distance to other cars.

Some great and safe tips for your Christmas Trip:

• Check the installation of your car seat before you head off
• Make sure you pack your belongings in a safe way. Avoid loose things in the car.
• When heading off: Make sure you are alert and not tired
• Take your time and do not underestimate the value of taking many stops
• Adapt your speed to the road conditions and the traffic