Reducing Risk on the Road at Christmas

During the days leading up to Christmas Day, it’s likely that many of the UK’s roads will be extremely busy, with more people doing last-minute Christmas shopping and travelling to see family for the holidays.

The last working day before Christmas is usually named ‘Frantic Friday’ because of the number of people on the road. With more people on the road, the higher the chance of accidents, especially with the colder and more wet weather.

How to reduce risk on the road

There are plenty of ways to help reduce the risk of accidents during this period. First and foremost, plan your personal trips in advance. This can help prepare for potential delays and avoid roadworks, thus minimising stress, and frantic behaviour. Also, time your trip to avoid rush hour traffic. Friday evenings are always busy, especially leading into the Christmas weekend, so why not wait and get an early start on Saturday instead? Finally, be careful the morning after a heavy night.

Drink driving is a serious issue this time of year, so be aware that the morning after a night out can be a dangerous situation. If you’ve been drinking alcohol the night before you may not be sober enough to drive the next morning. We would strongly recommend you update your staff on this point, especially where they have access to company vehicles for both business and social domestic and pleasure use.

As well as a higher risk of accidents, the Christmas period can also be a challenging time for the Motor Trade. Everything needs to be smooth-running, but there can be plenty of factors against you: increased demand for your services, more road traffic and poor weather conditions to mention a few.

Like above, the key is to be prepared. Last-minute requests for vehicle repairs or servicing might occur, so ensuring there is the capacity for extra loan hire vehicles to be rolled out on short notice can help with these fluctuations.

Managing staff effectively during this period is essential. With employees taking more annual leave than any other time in the year, there will be an increased pressure on staff capacity. It’s vital to plan staff shifts months in advance to ensure there is backup in case the customer base needs additional last-minute deliveries on very time-critical orders.

Defensive driving tips

Defensive driving is a way of driving that focuses on keeping car occupants and other road users safe. By learning to drive defensively, you’ll be less likely to be involved in a car accident, and there are also benefits in terms of fuel consumption and wear and tear on your vehicle.

Here are some defensive driving tips: Again, we would suggest updating your staff with this information

• Focus –This is the biggest element of defensive driving. It means no talking on the phone or texting, touching the radio button, or messing with buttons in the vehicle. It also means being always aware of your surroundings and regularly checking mirrors.
• Indicators – Many drivers on the road don’t regularly use their indicators to share their driving intentions. Defensive drivers ensure these are used for lane changes, merges, and turns, as well as checking blind spots before manoeuvring.
• Keep an eye on speed – Defensive drivers always use an appropriate speed for the road conditions, traffic, and weather. They will always obey the speed limit too.
• Maintain a safe distance –This is especially important when roads are wet and slippery. Keeping a safe distance allows you time to react if the vehicle in front stops or slows down suddenly. It’s suggested that you find a fixed object like a lamppost and count three seconds from when the vehicle in front passes you.
• Obey traffic rules – This means following traffic signs and rules. Darting through an amber light before it turns red is not defensive driving.

In an ideal world, all drivers would practice defensive driving until it becomes second nature. If everyone followed this type of driving, it would drastically help minimise accidents on the road.