Every winter, hundreds accidents involving Heavy Good Vehicles were due to snow and ice.

Statistics, from the Department for Transport, show the risks of adverse weather conditions for HGV fleets in the colder months.

With winter once again upon us and the darker mornings and nights adding reduced visibility to the mix, are your vehicles adequately prepared?

What can you do to prepare your vehicles?

1. Check all of your lights! Make sure they are clean and work properly.
2. Check your battery and don’t go out with a battery that isn’t fully charged.
3. Keep your windscreen, other windows and wiper blades clean. You must also keep your HGV filled with screen wash.
4. Check your brakes when it is safe to do so and remember progressive braking is even more important when driving in winter.
5. Get some all-weather or winter tyres! These will improve grip and ensure your vehicle performance is optimised when temperatures are low and the roads are slippery.

Extra safety measures

Winter driving can be dangerous and there are many extra safety measures you can take.

Increasing your drivers’ visibility while manoeuvring is one of the most important of these measures. Fitting hi-tech infrared reversing camera technology to your HGVs is one way to accomplish this. Infrared night vision reversing and forward facing cameras are now widely available. Night Vision technology will help your drivers see more clearly while reversing or manoeuvring in bad weather. The self-wiping reversing cameras also eliminate the need for drivers to climb upon a vehicle to manually clean the lens which is particularly useful at this time of year.

With more time to react and a clearer view of potential hazards in the darkness, rain or snow, drivers are able to avoid pedestrians, animals and objects more easily.