Category: Fleet News

Spring is finally in the air – the evenings are getting lighter, the weather is starting to improve (kind of), and drivers across the country are planning trips and excursions to enjoy the better conditions.

It’s undoubtedly a lovely time of the year, but spring can also bring its fair share of problems and irritations for motorists. Here are some of the potential issues to be aware of when you hit the road between March and May:

Potholes

A perennial bugbear of road users, potholes can be a major problem in the spring. They are a hangover from the winter months, caused when water seeps into cracks in the roads, freezes and expands. This creates holes that are not only unsightly and unpleasant to drive through, but potentially hazardous to drivers and pedestrians.

Most car owners will be familiar with the experience of hitting a particularly nasty pothole. In the worst cases, they can cause damage to your tyres, suspension and other parts of your car, so it’s always wise to be on the lookout for holes and to avoid them if you can.

Sun glare

It’s nice to see more of the sun in spring, but, when you’re behind the wheel, bright sunlight can be a major problem. The dazzling effect of spring sunshine can sometimes make it difficult to keep a clear view of the road ahead, which is vital for safe and responsible driving.

This can be particularly problematic if the roads have been left wet by spring showers, causing the sunlight to reflect off the tarmac and cause even more glare. While there’s only so much you can do to protect against this issue, it’s always a good idea to have a pair of emergency sunglasses in the car.

Traffic

Warmer weather and longer days mean more people heading out on day trips and spring getaways, which unfortunately means more cars on the road and a higher risk of traffic. Again, this is a difficult problem to avoid. Still, it’s always wise to think carefully about the timing of your journeys and to consider alternative routes that might be less congested.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that there could be more pedestrians around as the weather improves, so you should be extra vigilant at road crossings and in built-up residential areas.

Rain

The spring months are known for their changeable weather, and while there’s usually plenty of sun to enjoy at this time of year, there’s also a high chance of rain.

Motorists should always be prepared to change how they drive to suit the conditions. If you’re unlucky enough to be on the road during heavy downpours this spring, keep your distance from other cars, so you have enough time to stop safely on wet roads.

It’s also important to make sure vital parts like your tyres and windscreen wipers are in good working order so you can always drive safely.

With MyService.Expert, you can get calendar alerts for services and MOTs, as well as money off parts and labour to help you keep your vehicle in the best condition, at any time of the year.

Highways England has admitted that the cameras used to monitor the UK’s new network of smart motorways are not always being checked.

BBC Breakfast submitted a Freedom of Information request to learn more about how technology is implemented to spot vehicles stranded on the roads, which forced the organisation to reveal that control room staff are not there around the clock.

Concerning news for drivers

The news is bound to spark further controversy surrounding smart motorways, which do not have a hard shoulder and require drivers to find their way to SOS refuge areas that are placed at intervals along the highway should they break down.

Smart motorways now account for 416 miles of road and are expected to almost double in length by 2025, but 38 people have died on them within the past five years.

Furthermore, AA research recently found it takes an average of 17 minutes to spot broken-down vehicles in moderate to heavy traffic on smart motorways, on top of another 17 minutes for emergency vehicles to arrive on the scene.

Meanwhile, motorists in stranded vehicles that cannot reach refuge areas may be forced to sit in live lines as other road users remain unaware the lane ahead of them is blocked.

Highways England insisted there are measures in place to ensure cameras are keeping people safe, including transferring incidents between control rooms during busy periods.

“As with any organisation using many hundreds of CCTV cameras, it is not possible for our operators to monitor every camera all of the time. Our control rooms are staffed 24/7, 365 days a year, and we manage peaks of activity flexibly across all our regional operations centres,” a spokesperson added.

Jenny Smith, Product Manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “This news is sure to be a damning blow for the government, as well as worrying for drivers who need to know they are secure in an emergency. We hope it prompts a further review into safety on smart motorways.”

Your business can benefit from affordable telematics with no hidden start-up fees or long-term commitments. Find out how at www.tele-gence.com

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New technology that automatically detects the level of tread around a tyre could hold the key to improving road safety in the UK.

The EasyTread system has been developed by Beissbarth and is being made available to garages and forecourts up and down the country through Everard.

Easy and quick assessment for motorists

“The harsh reality is that a lot of drivers don’t regularly check the condition of their tyres and that many wouldn’t know how to, instead relying on the annual MoT to rubber-stamp their vehicle’s safety,” commented Everard divisional manager Jamie Taylor.

However, an automated system that can be installed into a garage forecourt that motorists simply drive up to and it tells them the exact state of their tyres could help many people to avoid the dangers of driving with insufficient tread.

Indeed, figures published by the Department for Transport show how faulty treads were a contributing factor in up to one-third of all road traffic accidents in the UK between 2013 and 2019.

The EasyTread system works by using LED refraction to build a 3D image of the full circumference of a tyre’s tread. It can then show the owner the exact state of their tyres in as little as 90 seconds.

Jenny Smith, general manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “New technologies that help to boost road safety should always be welcomed and, with so many accidents caused by faulty tyres, allowing motorists to more easily assess their tread depth could be a real lifesaver.”

Your business can benefit from affordable telematics with no hidden start-up fees or long-term commitments. Find out how at www.tele-gence.com

Most drivers in the UK would be happy to continue paying the same amount of fuel tax if the money raised was invested in fixing potholes and maintaining the country’s roads, according to research by the RAC.

On the eve of the government’s next Budget on March 11th, the breakdown recovery firm published a survey of 3,200 motorists indicating that road quality is a big issue for people across the country.

Reinvestment to help improve roads

Past research by the RAC has shown that vehicle breakdowns caused by potholes increased by a fifth in the last three months of 2019, compared to a year earlier. Holes in the road can cause damage to tyres, suspension and other vital vehicle components.

This is clearly a big concern for many drivers, with 59 per cent of respondents to the latest survey saying they would be happy for the government to keep fuel duty at its current level and reinvest 2p from every litre of fuel sold back into the road network.

Only 26 per cent of people said they would rather see fuel tax reduced, while ten per cent were in favour of an increase.

Nicholas Lyes, head of policy at the RAC, noted that the government’s plans for fuel duty always prompt a lot of discussion before any Budget, and this year is no different.

He added: “With one of the wettest February’s ever recorded fresh in the minds of so many motorists, we’re concerned we’re on the verge of yet more pothole misery if action is not taken soon.

“We believe the only hope for getting the UK’s local roads up to a standard fit for the 21st century is by ring-fencing a small proportion of the tax drivers already have to pay every time they fill up.”

You can reduce the risk of your vehicle sustaining damage from potholes by driving carefully and also by making sure vital parts of your car – like the tyres and suspension – are always in good condition.

With MyService.Expert from Fuel Card Services, you can save money on servicing and maintenance at thousands of garages up and down the country.

Tiredness is one of the nation’s leading causes of road accidents, but now new research is being carried out to help warn drivers when fatigue could cause them to become a danger behind the wheel.

SEAT is working in partnership with Eyesight Technologies to develop a new AI system that could help to make the roads safer for everyone in the years to come.

Addressing the dangers of driver fatigue

Stefan Ilijevic, head of product innovation at SEAT, commented: “In total, more than 90 per cent of the road accidents in Europe are caused by human factors. The main reasons include distraction and tiredness, excessive speed and alcohol and drugs.

“At SEAT, we are working on solutions to prevent negligence behind the steering wheel and significantly reduce road accidents.

“We partner with some of the world’s brightest companies on important technology to save lives, since our long-term vision is a world with zero accidents.”

As part of this commitment, SEAT’s Xplora design team are working on a new algorithm that can identify an individual’s level of wakefulness by analysing eye openness, angle of vision, blink rate and head position. In the event that it detects unacceptable levels of fatigue in the driver, the system automatically triggers an alert.

In future, the developers also hope to add other functionality to the system as well, such as detecting nearby pedestrians and assessing whether or not the driver has seen them.

What are the warning signs and how to combat fatigue

When you’re suffering from fatigue, this can have a significant impact on your ability to drive safely. Drowsiness at the wheel should be taken seriously, as it can lead to serious accidents that not only injure the vehicle’s occupants, but also other innocent road users and pedestrians.

Combatting tiredness can be easier said than done, however, so you should always plan your journeys to include rest stops every two to three hours. Getting out of the vehicle, stretching your legs and getting the blood pumping should all help to ward off tiredness for the next leg of your journey.

In the event that you feel yourself becoming drowsy, you should pull over at the earliest safe place to do so for rest. Consider drinking a caffeinated drink and then taking a short nap, by the time you wake up, the caffeine should be making you more alert and will allow you to continue.

Jenny Smith, general manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “Tiredness kills, it’s as simple as that. All drivers should know the dangers of fatigue and they should be taking the necessary precautions to remain alert at all times. Developing new systems that can warn the driver if they are too tired to continue is a positive step towards enhancing road safety.”

Your business can benefit from affordable telematics with no hidden start-up fees or long-term commitments. Find out how at www.tele-gence.com