The wastes can be a tough and unfair place sometimes, what with the war boys constantly trying to blow you up, two headed lizards not tasting as good as they did back in the day and tyrants like Immortan Joe hoarding all the water supplies. That’s still no excuse for ignoring the important road safety lessons that we can learn on the Fury Road. Look, everyone wants to be Mad Max but that doesn’t mean we all have to drive like a crazy people now does it?
What a day, what a lovely day… to talk about road safety! Ryda War Boy Neal Downward writes about the driving safety tips you can take away from Mad Max: Fury Road, whether you’re driving a customized War Rig, a giant speaker system on wheels or a Hyundai i30.
Not all roads are created equal in this world and it’s important to know that as road conditions change our driving needs to as well. When driving on a gravel road or on a road that’s sandy (which is pretty much every road in the wastelands, sand is everywhere!) it’s important to reduce your speed, watch your following distance and to break break gently to avoid swerving. This is one of the many reasons we think it’s important that you practice in all conditions when learning to drive. That way you have an experienced driver by your side that can guide you. Make the effort not only to get in those practice hours when conditions are good but also at night, on different road surfaces, if you can, and in different weather conditions like in the rain (although that one’s less likely in the wastes given that it hasn’t rained in generations! I mean, water from the sky? What a concept!)
2. Know your Car’s Safety Features and When Purchasing a New Car Consider Its ANCAP Rating
Is that customised VW bug with spikes all over it really the safest car you could be driving? There’s an easy way to check! The ANCAP website allows you to search all makes and models of cars for their safety rating (out of 5) and gives you an overview of what safety features the car has. This is fantastic when buying a new car. We even think it should be a high priority when considering what to buy.
We’d recommend going for the highest score you can and at the very least aiming for a score of 4 or higher. Also, before you ask, no, hidden booby traps and weapon caches are not considered to be safety features and will not effect a cars ANCAP score.
3. If a Passenger is Distracting You, It’s Okay to Tell Them to Stop
Out on the Fury Road there’s plenty of things that can distract you while you’re driving so they really don’t also need to come from the inside of the car (or even a person hanging onto the outside of it). Maybe it’s a War Boy distracting you by constantly yelling “Witness Me” and trying to spray your lips with chrome paint or that guy on the back playing bass that won’t stop thrashing around and spewing flames out of his guitar the whole drive. It might even be something as simple as a mate in the backseat telling a story or trying to egg you on to speed up.
If it’s a distraction to your driving it can feel hard to speak up but it’s really important that you do. Most of the time, people will understand and that will be the end of it but if they still won’t stop it might be time to pull over and let them know they can find another means of transport. Good luck to them finding that out in the Wasteland!
4. If You’re a Passenger and the Driver is Driving Unsafely, It’s Also Okay To Speak Up
Sometimes it’s the other way round, you’re a passenger and you notice the driver is going over the speed limit, not focused on the road or taking a turn that will lead you into a bandit infested canyon starting a chain reaction of events that’ll cause you and your whole crew to be hunted down by Immortan Joe and his road warriors, not ideal. It might feel a bit awkward to do but it’s times like that where making the choice to speak up and ask the driver to slow down and be more careful could be the choice that could ultimately save your life and the lives of everyone in the car. That’s probably worth it in our opinion.
5. Sometimes YOU Can Be the Distraction
It’s never a good idea to drive when you’re angry, stressed or being haunted by the memories of the family you lost back when the world was killed. Our mind state and emotions actually have a huge effect on our ability to drive, the choices we make and our ability to face the challenges that come on the road. If you find yourself out on the road stressed, angry or overall distracted, strategies like focusing on your breathing, listening to calming music or pulling over until you feel recovered, calm and able to drive undistracted again can really help. The best choice you can make, however, is not to drive on days like that. If you’re headed to a stressful situation like an exam, a job interview or being harassed by that annoying ghost kid from your past that keeps showing you visions you thought you blocked out years ago it might be best to take the bus or ask a friend or family member for a lift.
6. Plan your Route and Stops Ahead of Time When Going on Long Drives
There’s nothing worse than being on road trip, vibes are great, your Doof Warrior is rocking out and then you go and take a wrong turn and end up in a freaky swamp full of crows, mud and the ruins of the civilisation we’ll never be able to return to. I don’t want to be there, you don’t want to be there and I’m pretty certain those weirdoes on the stilts don’t want us there either. It’s a bad situation that could have easily been avoided with a bit of forward planning. If you’re taking a road trip it’s a good idea to plan ahead, lock your route in ahead of time and plan frequent stops so you can recover and rest when you need to. We have a great article you can take a look at that gives you advice and resources on rest stops in Australia and New Zealand.
7. Large Vehicles Have Huge Blind Spots, Be Aware of Them and Take Caution When Overtaking
A longer and larger vehicle means a larger blindspot. On numerous occasions out on the Fury Road, I witnessed Immortan Joe or one of the Road Warriors attempt to overtake Furiosa’s massive War Rig only to almost be crushed into a canyon wall, assumedly because she was unable to see them (at least I think that’s what was going on there, hard to tell with all the explosions). Overtaking a large vehicle means being aware of their blindspots, being patient and making sure you only overtake when you’re certain it is safe. There’s a great guide for overtaking safely here, if Immortan Joe had known about it he’d probably still be out there terrorising us all today!
8. Ensure Your Vehicle is Well Maintained At All Times
Getting your car checked and ensuring that it’s maintained is the responsibility of every car owner. It’s not just the law, it’s a way to keep yourself and your passengers safe. If something doesn’t feel right when you’re driving don’t hesitate to take your car to a mechanic to get it check out. Little things that you do yourself like checking your tire pressure is another great way to keep your car maintained and keep yourself safe. Just make sure you don’t attempt any engine maintenance while the vehicle is still moving, Rictus Erectus learnt that lesson the hard way.
That’s just some simple tips to stay safe on the roads out there in the wastelands or wherever you might be. So lets all make sure we’re making good choices, driving safely so that we don’t end up riding through the gates of Valhalla all shiny and chrome earlier than we should be!
