Whether you're taking a student back to university, visiting the DIY superstore or making your annual motoring holiday, a few simple rules followed when you pack the car will help ensure you get home safely without endangering yourself, your family or other road users.

Drive defensively – handling is affected by any load & stopping distances will be increased.

Don't exceed the Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) / Maximum Permitted Weight (MPW) – this is the technically permissible maximum weight of the vehicle based on the capability of tyres, suspension, etc.

It includes everything in/on the car (the payload), the driver and passengers and is normally shown on the VIN plate and/or in the handbook.

• Make sure everything's secure

Stuff sliding around or tipping over whenever you brake or turn will be irritating at best, dangerously distracting at worst – a box, bag or plant for example may be better wedged into a rear foot well rather than being left sliding around in the boot.

Empty boxes or plastic crates can be useful in the boot to stop smaller loads sliding around or shopping bags spilling at the first corner.

Keep the parcel shelf clear.

Keep the front foot-well clear – loose items rolling about on the floor are distracting and potentially very dangerous if they get caught under the driver's feet or the pedals.

• Keep larger/heavier stuff low down

• Can you still see?

• Passengers come first

• Plan for a puncture

Think about how you will get to the spare in an emergency – using a small number of soft bags rather than throwing everything in loose for example will make it much easier to get to the spare wheel if you need to in an emergency.

• Check the handbook to make sure that the load, including the weight of the roof rack itself, doesn't exceed the maximum permitted roof load – generally limits are low and easily exceeded for example by a couple of items of flat-pack furniture.

• Ensure that loads are securely attached – the Highway Code states simply that "you must secure your load and it must not stick out dangerously".

Once you're underway the airflow will be trying to lift the front of any long load so a secure fixing holding the front of the load down is important.

Under heavy braking the load will tend to slide forwards – secure fixings to the rear will help prevent this.

Fixings will work loose – stop, check and re-secure regularly.

• Don't forget the extra height

• Distribute weight safely