After over two months of lockdown, the Welsh Government have announced that as of Monday 1st June some minor changes will be made to these measures. Two households can now meet together in an outdoor space such as a park or a private garden, as long as they adhere to the social distancing rules. After months of staying at home and not seeing our families, this relaxation will bring comfort and joy to many families across Wales.
As the First Minister announced on Friday 29th, May, there is a five mile radius rule of thumb to this relaxation of the guidance with the “stay at home” message adapting to one of “stay local” to ensure we all keep the virus under control, protect the NHS and save lives.
Staying local will mean many journeys will be short and familiar. But, remember, no matter how short or familiar that journey is to put measures in place to make sure you’re ready. A small thing you can do is to ensure you and your passengers wear your seatbelts. This small task can make a big difference in a collision and could save your life!
You can find more information about seatbelts in this RoSPA Factsheet.
The roads your travel on may be one you’ve driven along thousands of times, but each journey is different with many factors such as the weather, the volume of traffic, the time of day all contributing to the uniqueness of a journey. Be aware of your surroundings and of other road users, as you never know what may be around the next corner.
With more people now able to travel further to see friends or loved ones from another household, we will start to see an increase in the volume of traffic on our roads. We can all play a part in making our roads safer, small things like keeping to the legal speed limit, wearing a seatbelt, not using your mobile phone, being aware of your surroundings and driving a maintained and insured vehicle.
Yes, we may now have more freedom to travel, but as the First Minister, Mark Drakeford said on Good Morning Britain last week; you’re allowed to do those things, it’s not an invitation to and if you can possibly stay at home you still should to continue to protect your loved ones and the NHS.