Fatigue does not always feel dramatic. It can start as heavy eyes, repeated yawning, missing a turn, drifting in your lane or realising you cannot remember the last few kilometres.

The Road Safety Authority estimates that fatigue may contribute to as many as one in five fatal crashes in Ireland. Tiredness-related collisions are also more likely to be severe, because a driver who has nodded off may not brake or take avoiding action.

Opening the window, turning up the radio or chewing gum does not restore alertness.

If you feel sleepy, stop somewhere safe. The RSA's advice is simple: stop, take caffeine, and have a short nap of around fifteen minutes before continuing. Better still, plan rest before a long journey and avoid driving when you would normally be asleep.

We have normalised checking our phones almost everywhere - at home, at work, in a queue, walking down the street. The car has to be different.

Social media is designed to pull attention back: a message, a like, a video, a reply, another alert. Behind the wheel, that attention is needed somewhere else.

The danger is not only typing. Reading a notification, changing a playlist, choosing a podcast, checking a map or filming a quick clip can all create moments when the driver is mentally absent from the road.

A phone does not have to be in your hand for long to take you out of the driving task.

A message arrives. A screen lights up. You glance down. In that moment, the road is still moving. The car ahead may brake. A pedestrian may step out. A traffic light may change. A cyclist may move around a pothole.

Distraction is not only visual. A phone can take your hands, your hearing and, most importantly, your attention away from driving. Research cited by the Road Safety Authority shows mobile-phone use can substantially increase collision risk.

An overtake can save seconds. A bad overtake can change lives.

Before moving out, you need a clear view, enough distance, enough power to complete the manoeuvre and a safe place to return. If any one of those is missing, the overtake is not ready.

The biggest warning signs are familiar: a bend ahead, the brow of a hill, a junction, a solid line, oncoming traffic, or a slower road user you cannot pass with enough clearance.

Do not let the driver behind make the decision for you. Do not let impatience with a tractor, cyclist or slow car turn into a gamble. And never assume an oncoming driver will brake to rescue your mistake.

Driving too close is one of those habits that can feel harmless - until the vehicle in front stops suddenly.

The Rules of the Road recommend a simple check on a dry road: stay at least two seconds behind the vehicle ahead. Pick a fixed point, like a sign or lamp post. When the vehicle in front passes it, count two full seconds. If you reach the point sooner, ease back.

In wet weather, double the gap. In snow, fog or ice, you may need much more.

Why does this matter? Because stopping is not instant. First you have to see the hazard. Then understand it. Then react. Only then do the brakes begin slowing the vehicle.

Tailgating removes that safety margin and can also pressure the driver ahead into making poor decisions.

Ireland has been changing speed limits on parts of the road network, including lower limits on many rural local roads.

The reason is simple: a speed limit should reflect the kind of road people are actually using. A narrow local road with bends, houses, farm entrances, walkers and cyclists is not the same environment as a high-quality national route.

Lower limits are part of the Safe System approach. That approach assumes human beings will sometimes make mistakes. The aim is to make sure those mistakes are less likely to result in death or life-changing injury.

In this episode we look at the importance of ensuring your vehicle is safe for the road, taking into account the worsening winter conditions that are on the way.

Ireland has been changing speed limits on parts of the road network, including lower limits on many rural local roads.

The reason is simple: a speed limit should reflect the kind of road people are actually using. A narrow local road with bends, houses, farm entrances, walkers and cyclists is not the same environment as a high-quality national route.

Lower limits are part of the Safe System approach. That approach assumes human beings will sometimes make mistakes. The aim is to make sure those mistakes are less likely to result in death or life-changing injury.