How can I have a 100% safe gap year?

The short answer is you can't, but there are steps you can take to ensure your gap year abroad or in the UK is as safe as possible.

Even if you stay at home, you are exposing yourself to risk. According to RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) accidents at home result in more than 4,000 deaths and 2.7 million people going to hospital in the UK each year.Life involves risk no matter what you do, or where you go. The key to staying safe is managing that risk.

It might seem that accidents such as the one recently in Ecuador in which five British travelers were tragically killed are unavoidable. But you can manage the risk involved in traveling.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 90% of road traffic accidents occur in low or middle income countries. China, India and Africa are all mentioned in a 2004 report that identifies passengers on public transport as at particular risk. Road crashes kill more young adults in Africa than malaria. Travellers and their parents automatically think of personal safety or dangerous sports as main concerns, but in reality road traffic accidents are a much more common cause of accident or injury than bungee jumping or night clubbing.

So what can you do to reduce the risk of being involved in a road traffic accident whilst traveling?

• Adjust to your circumstances quickly. Britain has relatively good roads and traffic management – a quick glance at the city centre traffic in Delhi or Rome, or the sight of battered wagons roaring down rural dirt tracks in South Africa should be enough to keep you on your toes. Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians will not behave as they do on UK roads. Watch, learn, and proceed with caution.
• Do not get into any form of public or private transport if you suspect that the driver has been drinking, is under the influence of drugs, or seems tired. Follow your gut instinct, and if it means you missing your bus, or having to wait for another taxi, so be it.
• Don’t take the cheapest option, take the safest option. If it is safer to get a taxi across town rather than walking, then don't walk. If it’s safer to fly from a city rather than take a bus, then fly. If one airline is safer than another, use it. Would you rather save money or potentially save your life?
• Stay sober. Easier said than done, but alcohol makes you feel invincible. A feeling of invincibility when combined with a badly lit, busy road that you are trying to cross is dangerous. You are more likely to make bad decisions when you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Do your research. Should you wear seatbelts in buses and taxis? What side of the road do they drive on? What are the speed limits? How old will the buses, taxis, hire cars and aeroplanes be that you will be traveling in? The older the vehicle, the less likely it is to be safe.

You can manage the risk involved in taking a gap year, this is part of the learning curve and the value of taking time out and doing something different. Kate Lee spent a year traveling all over South east Asia during 2006/07. She says “Obviously the accident in Ecuador is an awful tragedy, but it shouldn't deter gap year travellers from going abroad. I found that the standard of transport in developing countries is OK. Travellers should always take necessary precautions though - and gut instinct is very important. If you don't feel right about travelling on some form of transport - don't go - find a different way. As always, make sure people at home know your route so family and friends have a rough idea of where you are on a given day or week."

Soak up some gap year culture before you travel - read our Case Studies by fellow gap year students. 

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