As seasons change, so do the weather conditions that go with them. Weather can be unpredictable, and driving in cold, rainy, or icy circumstances can be challenging and dangerous. Ensuring you remain safe on the roads is crucial.
Preparing for your journey
1. Understand the risks
It’s vital to understand the risks associated with poor weather conditions. Reduced visibility, ice on the roads, or unpredictable surroundings can lead to accidents and mishaps. Whether you are driving long distances, commuting to work, or simply going for a walk, being aware of the potential risks is the first step towards staying safe and being prepared.
2. Check the weather forecast frequently
Make a habit of checking the weather forecasts and road conditions before beginning your journey. Try to avoid driving during severe weather warnings unless completely necessary. Make sure to check for real-time information on road closures or traffic delays.
3. Conduct regular vehicle checks and maintenance
From MOTs to daily vehicle checks, accurate maintenance is key for safe driving in any situation. Ensure your brakes, tyres, windscreen wipers, and demisters are in suitable working order. Check your tyre pressure regularly and your tyre tread to maintain good grip on wet or icy roads. Daily vehicle checks are a simple and effective way to identify potentially dangerous defects before vehicles are used.
4. Safe driving practices
Maintain a safe distance – In bad weather, it’s essential to increase the distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you. This ensures you have the time to react to sudden changes or stops.
Reduce speed – Speed limits are in place for a reason, so reducing your speed in poor weather is an active safety measure.
Avoid cruise control – Cruise control can be dangerous in wet or icy conditions. It may cause your vehicle to accelerate unexpectedly if you were to skid or aquaplane, making it difficult to regain control. Make sure you retain manual control of your speed.
Allow extra driving time – Make sure you leave extra time to get to your destination so you aren’t driving in a rush. This also alleviates pressure when on the road and helps to prevent any incidents.
5. Implement technology
There is a significant amount of readily available technology designed to help you reduce risk. Within our Fleet Services Department, we offer a range of solutions specifically aimed at these issues. The majority of which can be integrated into one seamless platform for ease of use and reporting.
Take utilising telematics, for example; a full fleet management solution can be offered to businesses by integrating tech partners such as FleetCheck. This enables functionalities like walkaround checks to ensure vehicles are safe to drive, while also embedding Driving for Better Business’s winter driving tooltips. At the same time, insights on driver behaviour and vehicle usage can still be gathered. This approach can be further enhanced by implementing route planning and scheduling, ensuring drivers face no additional pressure when navigating adverse conditions.
Here to help
All businesses should understand the impact of adverse weather on driver safety. Drivers can only control so much behind the wheel, therefore, it’s important to put processes in place to make sure vehicles are efficient and as safe as possible.
Our specialised Fleet Services Department provides customised solutions to businesses, aiming to minimise risk within their fleet.
If you would like any more information on how we can help, please contact our Fleet Services Department on 01743 770520 or email fleetservices@1stchoiceinsurance.co.uk.
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