Whether you’re travelling to your holiday destination or enjoying the festive season at home, it is important to stay safe.
To help keep South Africans out of harm’s way during the upcoming holidays, the South African Police Service, Department of Transport, Sanral and the City of Johannesburg have shared some tips to .
Keeping your home safe:
- Ask a neighbour to remove letters from your mailbox to prevent criminals detecting your absence
- Ensure your home is well lit and don’t leave the outside lights on during the day
- Only tell those you trust that you are going on holiday
- Ensure your house doors have burglar bars and are locked properly
- If your house is burgled, notify the police immediately.
When travelling:
- Buckle up
- Don’t drink and drive
- Keep a safe following distance
- Don’t use up your energy on activities which will leave you fatigued
- Get enough sleep, at least for six hours the night before the trip
- Don’t travel when you are emotional or stressed out
- Plan your trip, route you will travel and where you will stop and rest overnight
- Ensure your car is roadworthy
- Ensure you have a spare wheel and jack and that they are in good condition
- Ensure your luggage is in the boot which closes properly
- Stop every two hours and take 15 minute breaks
- Avoid driving between 1am and 5am
- If you feel tired or restless, pull over at a safe spot and rest for a little while.
On night travel:
- Be on the lookout for suspicious-looking people or vehicles
- Know where you are going, do not use unfamiliar routes to get home
- Lock your vehicle doors and close the windows
- If you are bumped from behind, head to the nearest police station or safe place
- Never leave vehicle keys in the ignition when opening gates
- If you notice suspicious movement when at your gate, drive around the block or get out of the car and lock the doors
- Never pick up hitchhikers
- Don’t get out to assist someone who seems to be in trouble and inform the police.
Safety when shopping:
- Avoid carrying large amounts of money
- Don’t leave valuable belongings in the trolley
- Conceal your wallet or purse, preferably in the front pocket
- Don’t let especially large amounts of money on you be visible
- Hold your child’s hand and be alert of them at all times and always accompany them to the restroom.
Water safety tips:
- Always make sure there is an adult present when children are swimming.
- Only swim in a public pool or sea with a lifeguard on duty
- Never dive into the water without permission from a lifeguard
- Never run along the edge of a swimming pool or push people inside
- Stay away from diving boards when in the pool
- Keep chairs and tables away from the pool fence to keep children from using them to climb over the fence
- Do not allow anyone to swim alone, regardless of age
- When entertaining a group of children or adults, have a designated water watcher to keep track of everyone
- Never leave children unattended when in or around pools.
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