Stay safe as we head into autumn and winter

Drivers should adopt a particularly cautious driving style to anticipate lack of grip (with morning frosts, dead leaves on the road, freezing fog, etc.) and to cope with poor visibility. Motorists should also make sure that their vehicle is ready for the autumn season. A car’s tyres and lights are vital safety features and should be paid special attention. This year, ACL is taking part in a special tyre and lighting campaign, which runs from 17 October.

Beware - game on the road!
Wild animals are most likely to be seen crossing the road at dawn and at dusk. Especially at this time of year, as game seek refuge during in hunting season, but also in spring during the breeding period. For motorists, the most dangerous areas are roads that go through or alongside woodlands, but also motorways, despite the fences designed to prevent animals getting through. Animals such as wild boar are hard to stop when they are frightened!

ACL recommendations for motorists:
•    Take heed of danger signs indicating the presence of game. If it is a listed corridor, be especially careful, keep an eye on the verges and reduce your speed.
•    Slow down, especially at nightfall and daybreak when driving through a forest, even where there are no signs.
•    Stick to the speed limit and drive cautiously so that you are not taken by surprise after a bend or on a hilltop. If you drive carefully and are required to brake suddenly, you may be able to avoid hitting an animal or another vehicle.
•    Always fasten seatbelts, in the front and in the rear.
•    If you hit a game animal, you must declare the accident at the nearest police station. In addition, you must secure the site of the accident: switch on your hazard warning lights, put on a high-viz jacket and place the warning triangle a hundred metres or so from the vehicle.
 
What is more, if a car driven by an ACL member is damaged on the public highway in Luxembourg after a collision with a game animal, ACL can pay out up to €500 per year for repair costs not covered by an insurance policy.

Winter tyres
It is recommended that you fit winter tyres as early as possible so that you are not caught out in winter. The highway code does not stipulate a start or end date for the winter tyre obligation, but in winter conditions, i.e. black ice, packed snow, melting snow, patches of ice or frost, the car must be fitted with four winter tyres if it is taken out on the road in Luxembourg. Approved tyres are marked M+S or bear a snowflake and mountain pictogram.

Generally, ACL advises motorists to adopt a preventive driving style to keep control over their vehicle at all times.

(Press release from the Automobile Club du Luxembourg)