Winter driving will always be more challenging than driving in the dry seasons. The winter rains make the roads smoother, floods limit driving, and often leave obstacles on the road. Weather conditions require much concentration and vehicle control skills.
Size does matter
What is true for any vehicle is twice the case for heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses. The reasons varied. It starts with physics. Heavy vehicles need a longer stopping distance, and their maneuverability and visibility capacity are limited, so winter weather only increases the challenge.
The other side of physics is the impact effect of a heavy vehicle, which results from the force of the truck. The strong winter winds can cause disconnections in loads that are not harnessed well enough and create an immediate danger to the environment.
But it is not just about the physical features of the vehicle. These are work vehicles, meaning the drivers are on the road for many hours. Besides, while a private car driver who encounters stormy weather can give up the trip, a bus driver bound to a line or a truck driver who must deliver goods does not enjoy this privilege. Unfortunately, this is not a theoretical discussion; relatively heavy vehicles are involved in many more fatal traffic accidents than drivers of private cars.
Preparation is different and more complex.
Every vehicle is required to prepare for winter – ensure brakes, tires, lights, and wipers are in good condition. But when it comes to a heavy car, this preparation is much more critical because the consequences of slipping or losing control of the vehicle are significantly dangerous. The legislator requires heavy vehicles (any commercial vehicle weighing more than 10,000 kg) to undergo an annual winter inspection and a periodic brake inspection (every six months for a car weighing more than 16,000 kg).
These winter tests include, in addition to the braking systems, an examination of the tires, lights, and wipers. For the Israeli legislator, winter begins on November 1 and ends on March 31. The inspection should be carried out at a licensed garage during October. A vehicle not equipped with such a permit will be taken off the road, and sanctions will be taken against the driver.
A question of geography
Special attention to heavy vehicles during the winter is not an Israeli invention. In most countries of the western world, it is customary to oblige owners of heavy vehicles to undergo similar winter inspections.
But the winters differ from country to country, affecting the regulation of heavy vehicles. Frost and snow are relatively rare in the Israeli winter, except in the northern Galilee region and the Golan Heights, but in most parts of Europe, it is a commonplace. Therefore, drivers must keep a shovel in their vehicles to prepare for winter in frigid countries. The significant variable in these countries is a shift to winter tires. Since there are almost no snow events in Israel, there is no obligation to worry about that.
Cell phone distractions are more dangerous in winter
Another significant variable that causes many traffic accidents, and not only in winter, is the hazardous use of mobile phones while driving. This is a phenomenon that has the effect of a global epidemic – drivers do not resist the temptation; they are immersed in the phone screen when they should be engaged in what is happening on the road.
Although cellular distractions are common all year long, in winter, when reaction times are shortened (smooth road and low visibility), the damage caused by cellular distractions may
Today with SaverOne’s technology, there is an answer to that.
The Israeli startup has developed technology that knows how to identify the driver’s phone while driving and block any applications defined as prohibited or dangerous while driving.
The system is specially adapted to vehicle fleets, including heavy vehicle fleets, whose drivers, as mentioned, are more exposed to cellular distractions due to multiple and monotonous driving hours.
Implementing the SaverOne system in heavy vehicles is expected to significantly reduce the driver’s chance of being involved in a traffic accident. In winter, this is even more important.
