Business leaders are responsible for ensuring their employees’ safety, and when winter comes around it’s important to remind them of the need to pay attention to safe driving issues.  So this month we’re giving away an AA Emergency Winter Car Kit to help draw attention to the subject.

Read on for winter driving tips to share with your staff, and to find out how to win…

Emergency-Winter-Kit-2013

The kit fits easily into your car boot, and includes:

  • Foldable snow shovel
  • Emergency foil blanket
  • 9 LED torch with batteries
  • High-visibility vest
  • Snow and ice grips
  • Booster cables
  • Ponchos

Safer Driving in Winter

We all prepare to some extent for the winter, whether it’s with a boiler service or getting a new winter coat. But have you made sure that you’re ready for the changeable driving conditions that winter brings?

Have you:

  • Checked that your lights are clean and the car battery is fully charged?
  • Made sure that your tyres are in good condition?
  • Cleaned your car windows – on the inside as well as the outside? It’ll really make a difference when that low angled sun is shining.
  • Made sure that your brakes are working well and your tyre pressure is correct?
  • Checked that your oil, anti-freeze and windscreen wash are all topped-up?

It’s also a really good idea to keep an emergency kit (like the AA one shown above) in your car during the winter months. If you’re assembling one yourself, consider including a warm coat or blanket, a snow shovel, wellies, a hazard warning triangle (many cars have these included), a torch and a first aid kit. Having a bottle of water and a couple of cereal bars is a good idea too. We’ve all heard stories from when people got snowed into their cars for hours on the motorway a few years back – having access to food and being able to keep warm makes all the difference in an uncomfortable situation like that.

Before setting off on a long journey always make sure that:

  • You have plenty of fuel
  • You’ve checked the weather reports for the area you’ll be travelling through
  • Your mobile phone is fully charged before you set off
  • You’ve let someone know where you’re going and when you expect to arrive.

Driving in Snow
As always, it’s vital to adapt your driving to the weather conditions. Slow down, remember your stopping distances, and avoid harsh braking and acceleration.

Getting stuck in snow can be a real pain. Trying to power out is not the best option; instead try to rock your car back and forth gently using a high gear. If this doesn’t work you might need someone to give you a push or get that snow shovel out and start digging.

Driving in Rain
I’m sure we’re all pretty experienced at driving in the rain, but always remember – it can require twice the normal braking distance to stop when the roads are wet, so be extra aware of how close you are to the car in front.

Driving in Fog
Here are a few tips to consider:

  • Switch on your headlights/fog lights if visibility is reduced;
  • If you can see a car behind you, they can see you and your rear fog lights could be dazzling them. Switch them off when visibility improves;
  • Rear lights of the car in front of you can sometimes provide a false sense of security, be careful not to get too close; and
  • Fog can be patchy so be careful not to speed up as soon as visibility improves slightly, you could find yourself in thick fog again very quickly.

For more information / advice on driving safely visit gov.uk or the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

To win a free AA Emergency Winter Kit worth £28.99 for one of your employees, send a message to Annette@amalgamate-safety.com before the 21st of December, telling us what efforts you’re making to help ensure staff safety this winter.  A winner will be picked at random from all the entries.