How to stay safe on the winter commute

winter commute

For many people, the daily commute is the most tiring part of the day. Running to catch the train, waiting for the bus or struggling to get anywhere because you are stuck in traffic in your car. The average commute in Britain is around 54 minutes but there estimated to be 1.8 million people that are travelling over 3 hours to work each day. With the weather getting darker, and a lot colder, it might be time to start thinking about how you can keep yourself safe in the dark, during your commute this winter.

Here are 4 things to think about as you make your way to and from work each day:

Visibility

If you are walking to work, or walking your kids to school it is important to remember that oncoming cars and cyclists may not be able to see you if you are wearing dark clothing, especially over the winter months.

Wearing reflective clothing, or glow in the dark reflectors can mean you really do stand out. You can even attach reflective keyrings or stickers to your child’s clothing that will help them be seen by drivers when crossing roads.

On the other side of this, if you are a driver, driving to and from work, make sure that you always have your lights on, and that they are working correctly. Not only can faulty lights cause accidents for you, they can cause serious injuries for pedestrians if you cannot see them on the road.

Warmth

When the weather takes a cold turn, don’t get caught on the bus to work in your flip flops with frozen toes. Make sure that if you have to walk somewhere, or even if you are driving in a cold car, that you have clothing on that can keep you as warm as possible. Everything from hats, scarves, gloves to coats, thermals and woolly socks, whatever keeps you warm on the commute, make sure you are wearing it.

Good Footwear

Understandably, you might not be able to turn up to the office, or your meeting wearing walking boots or your wellies, but that doesn’t mean you can’t commute in them. When the snow finally turns up, and the rain is leaving puddles on the floor, the last thing you want is to be sliding all over the place trying to get to work.

Try wearing good footwear, or walking boots on your way to work. You can always take a change of shoes in your bag to wear at the office.

Keeping Your Kids Safe

When your kids are walking to school, it is easy to worry about them on the journey there. If they are old enough to walk on their own but you are still worried about them, have you considered buying them a personal GPS tracker?

This might sound like something from spy kids, or something from an evil crime drama, but personal GPS trackers can really give you a peace of mind. Attached to a school bag, in a coat pocket or inside a handbag, these devices make it easier for you to track your kids on the go.

After all the safety precautions have been mentioned, the walking boots are on, and the winter coats are fastened up, it is time for you to enjoy your journey to work (don’t worry, the weekend will be here soon!).

*This is a collaborative post*

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4 Comments

  1. November 26, 2016 / 5:07 pm

    I would love it if I could commute by steam train. It would be like going to Hogwarts every day! x
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  2. December 19, 2016 / 7:10 pm

    A good pair of shoes is always a must when traveling.

  3. February 10, 2017 / 7:16 am

    I have walking shoes for the summer, wellington boots for rainy days and waterproof and warm hiking boots for the winter. I find that footwear is essential to ensure that your day isn’t ruined by sore, blistered, sweaty or wet feet! Anyway, thank you for the post – it makes some excellent points to stay safe and improve the daily commuting experience. Thanks!

  4. April 4, 2017 / 8:44 am

    I have found that wearing the proper boots makes the daily commute much more tolerable. I can’t imagine spending hours with my feet freezing or sweating, or uncomfortable. Thank you for this post!

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