Clear guidelines required for drivers to counter severe weather risk

Europcar Mobility Group is urging fleets to ensure they have clear guidelines in place for drivers when faced with severe weather.

It has asked people who drive as part of their job what travel policies their employer has in place when it comes to driving in adverse weather conditions.

Just over a quarter (27%) said they must adhere to their company travel policy when driving in adverse weather conditions.

Some 23% of respondents, meanwhile, said their employer had no expectations or procedures in place.

“Without clear guidelines on when it is safe to drive or not in poor weather conditions, people driving for work could be exposed to unnecessary risk”, said Evelyn Tourish, customer experience manager for operations at Europcar Mobility Group UK.

“The attitude that ‘It won’t happen to me,’ or ‘I’m a good driver so I’ll be fine’ can be extremely dangerous if drivers convince themselves their journey is important enough to risk driving in poor conditions.”

Employers and fleet managers should have in place clear guidelines regarding expectations of drivers and remind employees to carefully consider the weather conditions before embarking on a journey for work.

The Highway Code provides useful guidance for various weather conditions. 

Regular vehicle checks, including tyre pressure, screen wash levels and lights are also essential – something as simple as an under-inflated tyre can have serious consequences for steering and increases the risk of aquaplaning.

However, the Europcar research also found that vehicle checks were not mandatory. Just a quarter (23%) require employees to check tyre pressure; a similar proportion (22%) must check screen wash levels and 21% must check vehicle lights.

Tourish continued: “Employers have a duty of care to protect their employees when they are driving for work purposes, and clear guidelines are essential to meet this requirement and protect employees as well as the business.

“Our recent grey fleet report highlighted the continued heavy reliance of businesses on employees own vehicles – 81% admitted to relying on grey fleet for business travel. 

“It’s critical, therefore, that the right policies are in place to ensure these vehicles are checked regularly, especially if likely to be used in more challenging driving conditions.”