As a fleet manager, you understand fuel expenses take up a substantial amount of your business spending. Cutting down your fuel consumption is the best way to counter the impact of increased fuel prices, but it’s not the only way to do it. Below are seven ways you can reduce fleet fuel costs this winter.

 Use Cold-Weather Driving Techniques

Have your drivers implement cold-weather driving techniques this winter to keep fuel costs down, such as:

• Avoid using seat warmers and defrosters more than is needed
• Minimize idling to warm the vehicle up. Generally, engines warm up quicker when you’re driving. So, allow your vehicles to warm up for around 30 seconds and then gently drive off
• Ensure the oil is suited for colder weather

2. Improve Driver Driving Behaviors (speeding, harsh braking, idling)

Poor driving habits like harsh braking, speeding and quick acceleration can impact your vehicle’s fuel consumption seriously. Ensure your drivers know fuel-efficient driving habits to enhance road safety and save money.

Some include:

• Take foot off gas or slow down when going downhill
• Drive smooth in anticipation of various situations ahead to avoid unnecessary acceleration and harsh braking
• Drive at reasonable speeds
• Switch to higher gears early and skip gears when needed

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Fleet drivers face a lot of hazards with winter driving. Ice, snow, slush, and fog can make road navigation hard and this can result in costly accidents. Over 5.8 million accidents occur each year, according to a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) report. Twenty-one percent of these accidents are related to the weather. To avoid possible fleet vehicle crashes and other potential road mishaps, it’s essential you prepare your fleet drivers. Below are four winter fleet driving safety tips to help ensure your drivers’ safety this winter.

1. Reinforce Common Wintertime Safety Habits

Implement training and a policy to reinforce common wintertime safety habits. Because winter driving poses safety hazards, just looking at data from the past isn’t enough. You need to be proactive with enforcing your fleet safety policy and training. A whole training program should focus on your drivers being able to navigate different scenarios like icy routes, thick fog and vehicle breakdown.

Place emphasis on:

• Distracted driving
• Speeding
• Intoxication while driving
• Aggressive and defensive driving
• Safe following distances

You’ll also want to touch on common events like making quick stops, skidding, encountering ice on the road and taking corners.

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Vision Zero is a type of strategy for eliminating all severe injuries and traffic fatalities, while increasing healthy, safe, equitable mobility for everyone. Vision Zero was originally implemented in the 1990s in Sweden, was proven successful all across Europe and is now gaining traction in major cities of the United States.

Every year, over 40,000 individuals are killed needlessly on U.S. streets. Thousands of individuals are injured. This is being called “suffering traffic accidents”, but realistically, traffic accidents can be prevented.

Severe injuries and traffic deaths are unacceptable and they can be prevented. Safety needs to be the most critical consideration on all streets.

 How Vision Zero Cities Differ from Other Cities

A city needs to meet certain requirements to become a part of Vision Zero. These requirements include:

• The mayor must commit to Vision Zero publicly
• Vision Zero and a strategy have been implemented
• The goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries has been set
• Public transportation, health and other substantial city departments are on board and committed

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