As winter approaches, van drivers will be casting their thoughts back to the dramatic cold snap last year when many drivers experienced Arctic-like conditions in the UK’s bleak winter.
With weather forecasters promising snow for Scotland and the North of England later this week motoring organisations are warning van drivers to be ready to cope with deteriorating road conditions. Last year there were several instances of motorists being stuck overnight on freezing roads in sub-zero temperatures, and not only in the north of the country. Devon and Hampshire suffered very badly and helicopters were brought in to rescue motorists taken ill while being in the middle of giant traffic jams.
The bad weather caused havoc for months on end and many van drivers made claims on their commercial vehicle insurance policy for the first time. Motoring organisations reported thousands of more accidents than usual and they are now reminding drivers to prepare.
Commercial light vehicle drivers need to be more vigilant than most simply because their livelihood depends on them being out on the road most days. They should, as always make their tyre, mirror and around the vehicle check every morning. A blanket, extra clothing and shovel should also be part of any van driver’s everyday winter cargo. After the experiences of last year with many motorists stuck for hours on end, motoring organisations are requesting drivers to make sure they have some sort of sustenance in the car, a flask of soup is ideal for this, warm and comforting as well as nourishing. They are also keen to remind drivers that they should carry any medication they are on with them.
One new innovation many fleet van drivers may have use of this winter is the ISG Sense accident detector. The accident management company are pioneering a black box technology sensor that will alert the company’s incident room when the vehicle has been involved in some sort of incident.
Without help from the driver, the sensor will pick up the information required and immediately summon help. Research shows that in the majority of serious road accidents drivers and passengers in the vehicles involved are not sure of their whereabouts. The sensor informs the accident management team of the exact location of the vehicle within seconds as well as supplying them with other data. The emergency services can them be contacted without any delay if they are deemed necessary.
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