A driveway is always an area of danger that must be accounted for, no matter how safe and lovely your household otherwise is. That’s because no matter what, you can’t always tell who will be driving or when. Perhaps the local mailperson will pull up on your driveway, someone will use it to turn their vehicle around in, or the slop becomes an icy danger in the middle of winter.
There are ways to account for these dangers of course, such as a gate you can latch and road grit to melt the ice each morning. But it’s also true that the space must never be considered 100% safe, especially if you have children in the household who are most at risk.
Perhaps you’re renovating the house or see the driveway crumbling and want to fix this space up first. Maybe you have a brand new vehicle like a Peugeot 508 PSE, and would rather avoid damage by bumping into the walls late at night or chewing up poorly laid asphalt and causing chips to the windshield.
With that in mind, let’s consider some great investments to keep this space functional and safer than most:
Mirrors & Sightlines
It’s quite impressive how much a simple convex mirror can change your awareness of what’s happening around your driveway. If you mount one at the exit point, you can see traffic coming from both directions but not inch forward into the road to do so. I you have any large walls or hedges this could help anyone coming or going from your house avoid a collision.
We’d also recommend motion-sensor lights that click on as you approach, so you’re not reversing blind at night or fumbling with your phone torch while trying to avoid the bins. Solar options are decent if you can’t be bothered with wiring, and they’re bright enough to show up any obstacles you might’ve forgotten about.
Slope & Weather Management
If your driveway has any kind of gradient, water’s going to pool somewhere unless you sort out proper drainage. Moreover, standing water freezes in winter, which is a slip and skid hazard. Gravel or permeable paving is a good fix, as it helps with drainage naturally, but if you’ve already got tarmac or concrete, you might need to look at adding drainage channels along the edges.
Grit bins are worth keeping stocked at the side of your house as well, as you don’t want to be scrambling around at six in the morning trying to find something to throw down before the school run. Keep it accessible and topped up if you can.
Garage Door Safety
Modern garage doors come with sensors that stop them if something’s in the way, but older models can be brutal if they malfunction. Be sure to check out the automatic reverse feature every few months, just to make sure it’s still working properly, and you can do this if you put a broom handle under the door as it closes and see if it stops.
With this advice, you’ll be sure to make your driveway safer for use.
Leave a Reply