Fall 2016 | cbservices.org

Christian Brothers Services
Inside This Issue:

Risk Factor:
Fleet Management

Font Decrease   Font Increase
Fall Driving

Wet leaves, roaming wildlife and less daylight, combined with morning and evening sun glare makes for treacherous driving conditions during the fall season.  Annually, more drivers are killed from September through November than in the winter months of December through February. 

Patches of fallen leaves that linger over the roadways during this time of year can be just as treacherous as patches of ice in the winter months.  Because fallen leaves retain large amounts of water, they create an extremely slippery surface.  When you see a pile of wet leaves, don’t panic, just drive slowly through them and avoid any hard braking. 
Along with the cooler temperatures in the fall, comes the first frost.  When you notice the temperature is at or near freezing, be cautious when driving over bridges and overpasses.  They become much icier then the roadways that lead up to them.  The roadways hold heat in, while bridges and overpasses do not, therefore bridges and overpasses will freeze first in cold weather. 

One common site in autumn is school buses, and you need to be particularly careful around them.  When traveling the same route as a school bus with an extended stop arm and flashing lights, you need to stop and remain stopped until the warnings are withdrawn.  Also, be cautious of kids around the school bus.  They can appear almost out of nowhere. 

Rain, sleet, fog and even occasional snow can cause major issues on the road during the fall.  When driving in these conditions, keep in mind the “four-second” rule when following other drivers.  Always keep a minimum of a four-second interval between you and the car immediately in front of you during good conditions.  Add an additional second for each additional hazard, such as bad weather, construction and heavy traffic.    

The sun rises later and sets earlier in the fall, so your commute to and from work may leave you directly looking into the sun.  Have your sunglasses ready and make sure your windows are clean inside and out.  Another tip is to lower your visor, push it all the way forward, and then pull it back to the proper position to help block the sun.  Never leave the visor pulled forward to the bridge of your nose.  This can cause serious injury in a crash.  Even if you are driving away from the sun, the sun’s glare can be a problem for drivers approaching from the other direction.  It can help if you use your low beam headlights to allow them to see you. 

The early darkness also means that most commuters will be traveling home in the dark.  A driver’s vision, including depth perception, color, recognition and peripheral vision, is compromised in  darkened conditions.  The human body becomes more relaxed and less alert in the dark, becoming more easily lulled and drowsy.  A few ways to fight this is to prepare your eyes for night driving by allowing a little extra time to adjust from stepping out of a brightly lit building into the dark outside.  Also, make sure your headlights, tail lights and turn signals are all working properly.  And lastly, check the aim of your headlights.  Badly aimed headlights can reduce the distance you see and possibly blind oncoming drivers.    

Remind your drivers to use common sense and follow the basics of safe driving such as wearing a seatbelt, driving alert and staying within the safe and legal speed limits. Sharing the above tips with them can help your drivers and fleet stay safe this fall.