The Low Visibility, High-Risk Vehicle
Winter exposes vehicle flaws that summer driving can easily hide. With short days and long periods of driving in the dark, visibility becomes paramount.
- The Risk: Employees may have faulty headlights, worn windscreen wipers, or tyre treads that have dropped below the safe limit, which is catastrophic on wet or icy roads. As grey fleet vehicles are often older and not subject to mandatory company checks, the risk is magnified.
- The Duty of Care: Under the Health & Safety at Work Act, you must ensure any vehicle used for work is safe and roadworthy. An accident caused by a blown headlight or bald tyre while on company business could lead to legal scrutiny of your policy.
- The Solution: Require employees to submit a “Winter Vehicle Declaration” for essential safety items. For compliance that matters, ensure all Grey Fleet drivers are up to date on their MOT and Service History via your central DAVIS portal.
2. Fatigue, Fog, and the “After-Hours” Commute
The time change immediately shifts most business travel—including commutes and late-day client visits—into darkness. This shift, combined with poorer weather, is a cocktail for driver fatigue and reduced concentration.
- The Risk: Driving in the dark, rain, or fog is mentally taxing. An employee who feels tired after a long day is at a significantly higher risk of a concentration lapse, a major cause of accidents.
- The Duty of Care: You have a legal requirement to assess journey risk. This includes setting realistic journey times and managing fatigue, even for grey fleet drivers.
- The Solution: Targeted Driver Training. General fatigue awareness is good, but targeted training is better. Promote short, engaging e-learning modules on Fatigue Management and Driving in Low Light directly to your grey fleet drivers via DAVIS Coaching. It provides an instant audit trail that shows you didn’t just tell them to be careful—you invested in their safety.
3. The Lapsed Licence & Expired Insurance
As you prepare for end-of-year compliance audits, remember that the busiest time of year often means a distraction from the basics. A valid licence and appropriate Business Use Insurance are non-negotiable legal requirements.
The Risk: Employees may forget to renew their licence, accrue new penalty points, or let their insurance policy lapse without updating the business-use clause. In winter conditions, any incident involving an uninsured or disqualified driver is an immediate crisis for the business.
- The Duty of Care: You could be prosecuted under the “Cause or Permit” offense if you allow an employee to drive for work without a valid licence or insurance.
- The Solution: Automation is Key. Use the DAVIS platform to automate licence checks and manage the expiry dates of MOTs and Insurance policies. When the administrative burden is high, relying on an automated system to flag immediate compliance breaches is the only way to guarantee a continuous, legal audit trail.
4. Poor Driving Practices on Slippery Surfaces
Your employees might be excellent drivers on dry summer roads, but rain, frost, and black ice require a completely different skill set (and attitude). Many grey fleet drivers have never had formal training for these hazardous conditions.
The Risk: Harsh braking, rapid steering, and over-confidence are amplified on slippery roads, leading to skidding, loss of control, and increased collision risk.
- The Duty of Care: Providing guidance and training to ensure competence for the specific risks faced is part of your safety obligation.
- The Solution: Proactive Skills Refresh. Utilise DAVIS Coaching to deploy mandatory e-learning modules focusing exclusively on Winter Driving Techniques, including hazard perception, safe braking distances on ice, and steering in a skid. This targets the specific skills deficit created by the season.
5. Unpreparedness for Breakdown
Getting stranded at the roadside is unpleasant in summer; in winter, it can be dangerous. Your duty of care extends to ensuring employees have the basic tools to manage an emergency.
- The Risk: A breakdown in freezing temperatures, especially at night, can quickly become a health risk if the driver is unprepared (no blanket, insufficient fuel/charge, no high-vis vest).
- The Solution: Add a section to your grey fleet policy mandating that drivers carry a basic Winter Emergency Kit (high-vis vest, phone charger, blankets, de-icer). Use DAVIS Coaching to issue a mandatory briefing on emergency procedures and breakdown safety.
The winter months are the ultimate test of your grey fleet policy. Don’t rely on hope and manual checks. By automating your compliance checks and using DAVIS Coaching to deliver timely, targeted training, you can demonstrably mitigate the five biggest risks that spike after the clocks go back, protecting your business and, most importantly, your drivers.
Ready to Make Your Grey Fleet Winter-Proof?
Secure your duty of care obligations and deploy essential winter training today.
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