That’s the warning from Steve Clarke, of The Fuelcard People, who says a recent report from the Department for Transport (DfT) and Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing the impact of weather on road casualties should serve as a reminder to all commercial fleet managers.
“Common sense dictates that road accidents are more likely in bad weather, but this research shows just how seriously fleets could be affected and it has important duty of care implications,” says Clarke.
The Dft and ONS report, ‘Modelling the impact of the weather on road casualty statistics’, looked at accidents between January 1991 and December 2014. It used Met Office data to map the monthly casualties against rainfall and temperature figures during this timeframe.
The analysis showed that slight injuries for motorists rose with higher rainfall for every month of the year. It also showed that above-average rain, sleet and snow was accompanied by higher numbers of serious injuries during six months of the year.
“Colder winter weather and higher than average rainfall means more serious accidents,” says Clarke. Operators, therefore, “must accept not only that their drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents, but that the consequences are also likely to be more serious”.
If a post-accident investigation shows that drivers were not advised to take more care during winter, he adds, “it could be argued that their manager has neglected duty of care obligations”.