Inchcape Fleet Solutions (IFS) has highlighted the impact switching to winter tyres can have on fleet and driver safety.
Recent research undertaken by Continental Tyres has provided results that state the fitment of winter tyres in temperatures below 7 degrees centigrade will reduce stopping distances and increase grip.
Considering the UK mean temperature has been at 7 degrees or colder for over 5 months every year for the past 50 years, this is a compelling winter tyres argument in itself, according to IFS.
It says it is unreasonable to expect one tyre type to provide high safety levels with annual temperatures ranging from +30 to -15 degrees centigrade, which is why specialist winter tyres have been developed over many years.
Peter Eldridge, IFS’s commercial manager, gave a ringing endorsement of winter tyre fitment, but conceded that businesses should ideally register an interest as early in the year as possible to ensure demands are met.
He said: “Winter tyres are irrefutably proven to increase driver safety in cold conditions. There is a clear link between the number of insurance claims made in the winter months and the drop in temperature.
“The swap process is very simple. Typically, if one of our customers decides to make the switch to winter tyres, we would arrange, via our supplier network, for its fleet’s summer tyres to be placed in storage and winter tyres fitted in their place.
“When the temperature rises again, it is simply a case of changing the tyres back over. There is a nominal fee attached to this service for tyre storage, management and fitment but this often fluctuates, due to raw material pricing.”
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