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With spring in the air and summer just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about how your fleet can handle the potential risks of warmer weather.
Whether your drivers are headed down the highway or driving through the city, you want to ensure they are equipped to handle everything this season has to offer.
Today, we’ll provide a complete overview of the distinct hazards warmer months provide and how DiCAN’s innovative safety solutions can ensure your fleet is optimally prepared for driving in the summer.
6 Common Summer Road Hazards
When most of us think of driving hazards and challenges, winter is often the first season that comes to mind. But driving in the summer has its own set of risks, challenges and difficulties.
In fact, deadly collisions occur more often during the summer months than in the winter. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), 30 percent more fatalities occur in the summer months (June, July, August, and September) than in the winter months (December, January, February, and March).
Here are six common road hazards commercial fleet drivers should be on the lookout for this summer:
Road Congestion
Road congestion can be a major headache for commercial fleets, especially those in urban areas where the constant influx of tourists can lead to traffic jams and slowdowns.
Have your drivers combat this problem by planning their routes in advance and avoiding peak travel times, like the early morning and late afternoon. Your drivers may also want to consider taking alternative routes whenever possible.
Slippery Roads
Slippery road conditions aren’t exclusive to the winter months.
When we experience a period of dry weather in the summer, grime, and dust build up on the surface of the road. If it rains soon after, the road surface can become slippery, creating unsafe conditions for your commercial fleet drivers and other road users.
It’s important for your drivers to always be aware of their surroundings. If they notice the road has become slippery, then it may be best to slow down and pull over until it’s safe to proceed.
Motorcycles and Bikes
Motorcycles and bicycles pose a serious risk to your commercial fleet.
Relatively small in size, motorcycles and bikes are more difficult to see on the road, able to easily get lost in a vehicle’s blind spot or slip between lanes without being seen. They may also be without warning lights, rendering them invisible once the sun goes down.
To ensure the safety of bicyclists and motorcyclists, it’s essential that your drivers understand the unique hazards these road users present. For example, vehicles turning left in front of a motorcycle can cause serious injuries or even death if they aren’t exerting enough caution. Bicyclists’ intentions, on the other hand, can be hard to decipher unless they follow traffic rules or use hand signals.
Tire Blowouts
The heat of the summer can cause tires to expand and contract, changing their pressure and increasing the likelihood of a blowout.
Often caused by improper inflation, insufficient tread depth, or a combination of the two, tire blowouts are no picnic.
To avoid tire blowouts, commercial fleet drivers should check their tires regularly, ensuring they are always properly inflated and replacing them if they have too much wear.
Unpredictable Weather
Weather can be unpredictable. Heavy wind, rain, fog, and other conditions can make driving difficult or even impossible in certain areas at certain times of day or night.
Commercial fleet drivers should always exercise caution when driving and check conditions before heading out on a trip, so they don’t get caught off-guard.
Dehydration
Dehydration is a serious risk for all those driving in the summer, but it can be particularly dangerous for commercial drivers who spend long hours behind the wheel each day. Even mild dehydration can cause drivers to feel tired, dizzy and weak–all of which can increase the risk of collisions if they’re not careful.
A simple solution is to encourage drivers to always keep a water bottle on hand at all times. Drivers should also be reminded to take regular breaks, especially during long drives, to ensure they stay alert and responsive while behind the wheel.
Safety Tips for Vehicle Fleets on the Road this Summer
As many commercial fleets prepare their vehicles for the busy summer months ahead, it’s important to remember that safety is a top priority.
Here are some hot weather driving tips for keeping your fleet, other motorists, and pedestrians safe this summer:
Encourage Drivers to Stop Often for Breaks
One of the most important things you can do to keep your employees safe is encourage them to take breaks.
Drivers may be worried about keeping a tight schedule or be in a rush to get a particular job done, but skipping breaks is not the solution. Not only is this unhealthy for drivers, but it can lead to distractions at inopportune times, significantly increasing the risk of collisions.
Ensure your drivers are driving safely and staying fully attentive while behind the wheel by encouraging them to take a break every two hours.
Reverse Confidently with Vehicle Backup Safety Systems
With the summer months bringing increased vehicle and foot traffic, you want to make sure your commercial fleet drivers feel fully confident reversing out of any situation.
That’s where Veilig’s HD Radar Detection System comes in! Featuring the latest driver-assistance technology, your drivers will be able to manoeuvre, reverse and park with ease.
Specializing in rear-view technologies, Veilig’s reversing sensor optimizes radar waves that bounce off nearby objects and return to the sensors. The smart box then analyzes these signals to alert the driver of any objects in the vehicle’s proximity while reversing.
A few other benefits of this system include:
- Improved Visibility & Reduced Accidents: Backing up can be tricky, especially in tight spaces or at night when it’s hard to see what’s behind you. The HD Radar Detection System was designed to prevent costly and sometimes deadly collisions in the industrial, construction and waste sectors by alerting drivers when they’re approaching an object. It also reduces liability by ensuring that drivers are not liable for accidents caused by their negligence when reversing.
- Increased Safety: When connected to an onboard camera, the system provides visual, audible, and image-overlapping alerts. Having sensor data combined with real-time camera images has proven to reduce driver stress as well as limit distractions thanks to the all-in-one view display.
- Available with one or two sensors and operates in all weather.
- IP Protection
Eliminate Blind Spots & Reduce Collisions with Obstacle Detection Systems
Commercial vehicles have a lot of blind spots, and if left untreated, this can lead to an uptick in collisions.
Prevent an increase in summer driving collisions– outfit your commercial fleet with obstacle detection systems!
These systems have proven essential in helping to make roads and worksites safer for all. By optimizing sensors to detect obstructions, obstacle detection systems automatically alert drivers of any barriers, allowing them ample time to slow down and/or redirect their course.
And while there are numerous obstacle detection systems on the market, Brigade Electronics’ AI-based Sidescan Predict is a standout. It provides 5-stage visual and audible alerts based on the severity of collision prediction – from a simple alert to an emergency collision warning.
The AI-based Sidescan Predict is always active below 32 km (20mph), whether or not the turn signals are activated, and its advanced technology renders it able to differentiate between stationary and moving objects.
The detection data feeds an algorithm to calculate the risk of a collision, significantly reducing the chance of false alarms. The device also collects information such as the speed, direction, acceleration, and turning speed of the vehicle.
And with the AI-based Sidescan Predict you’ve got options. Choose between either radar sensors, perfect for road-going commercial vehicles operating in confined spaces, or radar sensors, suitable for heavy-duty off-road machinery and vehicles with larger blind spots and elevated driver positions.
Ensure Commercial Vehicles Drive Safely Year-Round With DiCAN
Whether it’s summer, fall, winter, or spring, DiCAN can provide your commercial fleet with innovative after-market hardware and software solutions for collision avoidance and fleet management systems.
In partnership with industry-recognized global brands, we offer the best safety technology designed to predict and prevent accidents and protect all industries, vehicles, and fleet sizes.
To learn more about how DiCAN can help your commercial fleet put safety first contact us today.
