Weather forecasters are predicting that yet again, the UK will experience another harsh winter with temperatures colder than average and more ice and snow expected. A recent YouGov poll of senior decision makers at small businesses found that 58% said their “business suffered last year” as a result of the snow across the UK. The report also found that 74% of employees were affected by the snowy conditions and 26% didn’t make it into work at all.

The online tyre retailer, mytyres.co.uk, is recommending that small businesses think about fitting winter tyres for those employees most affected. An example of where winter tyres helped a business continue trading effectively was the fitting of these specialist tyres to a major online supermarket grocer delivery service’s vehicles. The company said that fitting winter tyres improved the safety for its drivers and provided improved grip and stability, helping them make their deliveries.

To give you an idea of how winter tyres are more effective, the British Tyre Manufacturer’s Association found that a car braking at 60mph on a wet road (with the temperature at 5 degrees Celsius) stopped five metres shorter, which is equivalent to more than one car length. So if it is essential that your drivers are mobile this winter it may well be worth considering fitting winter tyres for extra tyre safety?

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has just launched the 48th edition of their Yearbook of Road Tranport Law 2010. If you are a commercial fleet operator and run HGVs or other commercial vehicles and vans, then this book should keep you fully informed on all aspects of road transport legislation, health and safety and duty of care.

The 2010 yearbox has been written by a team of FTA experts and includes details of the new fixed penalty system introduced in May 2009 and used by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and the police in roadside enforcement. The 2010 Yeabook costs £37.00 for FTA members or £79 for non-members with discounts for multiple copies. The FTA also publishes Van Drivers’ Handbook and the Dangerous Goods Drivers’ Handbook.

Visit www.shop.fta.co.uk to order.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has provided some advice for motorists travelling over the Christmas break when visiting family and friends. With an estimated 12 million drivers preparing to take to the road in their cars and vans, the IAM is advising drivers to allow extra time for their journey and to avoid being over-cautious, which can sometimes create additional problems on the road.

IAM Chief Examiner,Peter Rodger, said,” Too many drivers lack the skills and experience to tackle snow and icy conditions. Our message to drivers is to assess the type of road you’re driving on. Going too fast is dangerous, but so too is going too slowly”.

He went onto say,”In snow you should drive slowly enough so you can stop, but also fast enough to give you the all important momentum to deal with hills so you can avoid sliding back and getting stuck. Give yourself plenty of time. And prepare your car. Listen to the travel and weather bulletins and plan your route”.

The IAM has also advised as follows.

1. Is your journey really necessary? If it is plan it and give yourself plenty of time and tell someone your intended route and how long you think it will take.
2. Clean your windscreen and windows using a demisting preparation. Make sure the washer bottle is topped up and also that it has a winter additive to stop it freezing. Check your windscreen wipers are working correctly.
3. Ensure that all lights, brake lights and indicators are working properly and that the lenses are clean.
4. Ensure your tyres are correctly inflated and are in good condition.
5. Keep your speed down and increase the safety gap between you and and the vehicle in front of you. It can take up to ten times longer to stop when the road is wet or icy.

A useful tool to use before setting off for your journey is the live Trafficmaster traffic road mapping service on Comparecontracthire.com. This covers the whole of the UK and shows you “live road” speeds so you can avoid potential hotspots.

Have a safe journey and a merry Xmas.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has commented that the recently published road casualty figures for Scotland shows the need for drivers and motorcyclists to consider refresher training to improve their driving skills.

The main causes of fatal road accidents in Scotland include the following;

- Loss of control of the vehicle was mentioned in 36% of all cases where factors were recorded.

- Failing to look properly was the second most common factor at 22%.

Some of the others included being careless, reckless or in a hurry, travelling too fast for the conditions, failing to judge another person’s path or speed and being impared by alcohol. 

Kathleen Braidwood, RoSPA’s road safety officer for Scotland said,”These detailed road casualty figures show that driver or rider errors are the most commonly cited factors in reported road accidents in Scotland. They highlight a real need to promote a lifelong learning approach to training for drivers and motorcyclists – for individuals but also for companies employing people who drive in the course of work”.

Volkswagen has been voted as the best carmaker in Europe by visitors to RoadTestReports.co.uk, a car review website.

The website provides a forum for motorists to discuss and report on the merits and drawbacks of the cars they drive. Volkswagen was the top performer when a poll of some of the 140,000 monthly visitors were asked for their opinion on the best carmaker, taking 35 per cent of the vote. Interestingly Skoda came second and SEAT came third and both are also part of the VW Group.

THINK! is the road safety campaign that has been launched by the Department for Transport. The campaign is urging parents to make sure their children follow the “Be Bright, Be Seen” advice this winter, especially as the clocks go back tonight.

In 2008, 712 children aged six to 11 were killed or seriously injured while walking in Great Britain and 155 children of the same age were killed or injured while cycling.

Road Safety Minister, Paul Clark said, “Britain’s roads are among the safest in the world and we have reduced the number of children killed while walking or cycling by 54% since the mid-1990s. However, more than 850 child pedestrians and cyclists were killed or seriously injured on our roads and we are determined to do more to keep children as safe as possible”.

An advertising campaign will start shortly in cinemas and on TV and the advice for parents from the THINK! campaign is below, as well as a link to the DfT video on further road safety tips.

Be Bright, Be Seen – Road Safety Advice

• Brightly coloured or fluorescent clothing show up well in daylight and at dusk
  
• If you’re out by the roads when it’s dark, wear reflective gear to make sure you can be seen in car headlights. Reflective vests, sashes or wrist bands work well. Remember, fluorescent clothing doesn’t work after dark.
  
• Clip on reflectors, arm bands and stickers on your outfit or school bag will improve your visibility.
  
• It is the law to have clean and working lights on your bike – red at the back and white at the front – you must also fit your bike with red rear reflectors.   Fitting spoke reflectors will also help you to be seen in the dark.
  
• ‘Being Bright’ isn’t the only way to be safer. If you’re out at night, choose routes and crossing places that are well lit and remember to always use the Green Cross Code – Find the safest place to cross, Stop, Look and Listen.

The ‘Tales of the Road’ website can be found at http://direct.gov.uk/talesoftheroad.  

It has interactive games for children as well as educational material for teachers and parents

Nissan Van

The Commission for Integrated Transport has reported that over the last ten years there has been an increase of 40% in van use.

This will comes as no surprise to LCV operators who have been using vans for an ever expanding range of purposes. As usual the best of the van manufacturers and other suppliers to commercial vehicle operators will be at the CV Operator Show, next April (13-15). 

The Commercial Vehicle Operator Show will showcase all that is on offer to get the best out of your vans or trucks and is sponsored by the Road Haulage Association, the SMMT and IRTE Services Ltd (the trading company of the Society of Operations Engineers).

Combining this with the expected increase in traffic levels, as many families head off for the last break before Christmas,Trafficmaster expects traffic to build from around 10.00am onwards on Friday the 23rd October, with the busiest traffic at around 3.00pm.

Research shows that drivers are 2 to 2.5 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash between 50mg and 80mg. Brake, the road safety charity, has called on the UK government to follow the example of Ireland to reduce the UK limits as well and to step up enforcement of the law.  Brake also intends to highlight the dangers of drink and drug driving during the Brake Road Safety Week 2009 between November 23-29).

Whiplash causes serious injuries with circa 1,184 claims for personal injury every day. Research by Brake and Direct Line, showed that two out of three drivers never or rarely checked the position of their head restraints.

Employers with fleet vehicles are invited to attend the low-cost workshop at Thatcham in Berkshire on Wednesday the 2nd December 2009 from 12.30pm until 4pm. At this forum, all the latest technologies being employed in head restraint design will be explained and you can meet experts from the Thatcham crash laboratory.

Tickets can be obtained by calling Brake on 01484 559909 or e-mail admin@brake.org.uk