Forecast? Treacherous with increased risk likely

A bit nippy? Baltic? Bracing? Great weather for penguins? How would you describe the weather we’ve been having recently?

Whether you’ve been loving the winter wonderland or studying the forecasts for signs of a thaw, one thing is certain – winter conditions make the roads more hazardous than ever.

At Highway Care, we specialise in road safety and are dedicated to making roads safer for both those who drive on them and those who work on them, so we’re constantly focused on risk and how we can mitigate it.

Vehicle & driver safety

It may sound simple but just ensuring that your windscreen is fully cleared of ice and snow and de-misted is a vital step in making your vehicle safer (we have ice scrapers available on demand to help if you need it). It’s also important to remove any snow off the roof of your vehicle because this can be an additional hazard if it falls as you are driving.

While we assume our team have already polished off the Tony’s Chocoloney we gave them for Christmas, it is also a good idea to keep some high-calorie food in your glovebox in case you become stranded. We’ve also recommended that our colleagues prepare for journeys by keeping a bottle of water, a torch, and a warm blanket or additional clothing in the car too and, of course, it’s important to make sure you have plenty of charge in your phone before you set off.

Road safety

In snowy and icy conditions, the risk of accidents on the roads increases, with poor visibility and the risk of skidding making many roads treacherous.

Country roads are statistically the worst in terms of accident rates all year round, and these risks multiply in wintery conditions because many of these roads are not gritted due to low traffic volumes or poor accessibility for gritters.

Skidding can cause vehicles to veer off the road, which can be extremely dangerous if there is a sheer drop or steep embankment. Our vehicle restraint systems (VRS) provide an ideal solution to prevent vehicles from leaving the road in the event of skidding, and our TERTU EQUIPEMENTS TimberRail system is particularly popular for rural roads because its robust steel construction is encased in natural Douglas Fir, providing an aesthetically pleasing safety feature that is in-keeping with countryside surroundings.

It's not only rural roads that often take on an ice rink-like surface during periods of freezing weather, either. In urban and suburban locations, it is often only the main roads that are gritted and become clear of ice thanks to traffic volumes, while smaller, local roads remain treacherous. Here, again, our Tertu TimberRail system is an ideal solution, often specified for housing estates to prevent vehicles from leaving the road if the driver loses control, thereby also protecting pedestrians.

Our Tertu TimberRail system is often specified in combination with our SMA Road Safety Ermes crash cushion, which can be powder-coated to resemble timber. We have a wide range of crash cushions for different road environments, and these are also important safety measures to limit the risk to vehicle occupants in the event of an impact.

Ice, snow and aquaplaning due to surface water can all cause a driver to lose control of the steering on their vehicle on motorways and A roads, as well as on country lanes and small urban roads. Our crash cushions are strategically positioned to bring the vehicle to a safe stop and absorb the force of the impact to limit the consequences of any such incidents.?

Worker safety????????????????

The safest choice when bad weather strikes is to stay at home if we can. For those working hard to maintain and improve our roads, however, projects continue even during the cold snap, and our innovative safety solutions are there to protect them too.

Our BG800 steel barrier system is designed to protect the work area and the operatives at work, while reducing the risk of any impact to vehicle occupants. It’s part of our joined-up approach to reducing risk for all, in any driving conditions.

Stay safe

Whether you’re working, out on the school run, or popping to the shops, remember to take extra care on the roads during periods of bad weather. We are working hard to mitigate risk and support improved safety, but it is always a team effort!