It is one of the busiest times of the year on the roads with people ticking off their Christmas to-do list and making their way to family for the festive period.

So, how can you ensure that you get to your loved ones safe and sound?

On The Anton Savage Show, Road Safety Authority (RSA) Director of Partnerships and External Affairs, Sarah O'Connor, said travelling safely around the Christmas period is of “huge importance”.

“The first thing I would recommend is if people are traveling by car or any vehicle - do a quick walk around the vehicle and have a quick look at the tires,” she said.

“Tires are the only point of contact between the car and the and the road, and they're absolutely of huge importance.

“When we look at fatal collisions… roadworthiness of tires come in - 14% of fatal collisions will see a flaw within the tires and that can be a contributory factor.”

Tyre check

Ms O’Connor said tyres are a very easy thing to check yourself.

“You can see rips or bulges and you can see when the thread depth isn't good enough,” she said.

“It's meant to be three millimetres in depth, the minimum target that's acceptable is up to 1.6 millimetres we'd recommend higher in winter months.

“Even if you take out a euro coin and you slip it into the thread depth, that should give you a good sense of actually, is it in the right condition to drive or not.”

Take a breather

Ms O’Connor also suggests that people take a moment to breathe before they set off on their trips.

“I'd suggest when people get all packed and into the car, that they sit there and actually just take a breath for a moment, because, you know, this is potentially the riskiest thing that you're doing in the next few days,” she said.

“People [should] settle themselves and note, ‘I’m about to do something that takes some responsibility and I’m looking after myself, I'm looking after the other people in the car and looking after everyone else around me’, and maybe just to drive in that vein as they go.

“If you take a moment and take a breath, it can be very beneficial at the beginning just to remind yourself this is not a slapdash thing - this driving bit is quite important.”

Slow down

Ms O’Connor also warned road users to not drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol and not to be on their phones while driving.

“Let's all enjoy that song ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ in a really nice, safe, positive way and make sure that those numbers that we see [of road deaths] and those empty seats that we're really thinking of so much [over Christmas] - that we don't add to those in the next number of days,” she said.

Modulate your speed, slow down that little bit and take your time, Ms O’Connor advised.

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Small red Beatle car with a Christmas tree on the top driving in snow. Image: Alamy