Ryder shares winter driving tips

Winter weather makes for tough driving, so Ryder System Inc. is sharing a compilation of advice, information, and tips to keep trucking fleets up and running.

Winter-driving-related crash statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that slippery roads are no joke:

• 24 percent of weather-related vehicle crashes occur on snowy, slushy, or icy pavements.
• 15 percent of weather-related vehicle crashes happen during snowfall or sleet.
• More than 1,300 people are killed—and 116,800 people are injured—in vehicle crashes on snowy, slushy, or icy pavements each year.
• Accidents on icy roads kill at least twice the number of people annually as all other severe weather hazards combined (tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning, floods, high winds).

The trends are particularly worrying for the trucking industry, statistics show. While the number of injury crashes involving large trucks or buses decreased steadily from 95,000 in 2004 to 60,000 in 2009 (a decline of 37 percent), this decline was followed by an increase of 55 percent from 2009 to 2014, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The FMCSA also noted that from 2013 to 2014, the number of large trucks involved in injury crashes increased by 21 percent, from 73,000 to 88,000.

Visitors to Ryder's "winter preparedness" site can watch a 95-second video and hear highway experts give guidance on the do's and don'ts of preparing your fleet, your vehicles, and your drivers. The site also offers tips and statistics on winter truck maintenance, fleet fueling, new engine technology, winter tire essentials, battling driver fatigue, assembling a driver emergency-kit checklist, and driving in low visibility.

The week between Halloween and Election Day may seem early to worry about weather, but winter started early in the Midwest in 2016, with snow storms in October that resulted in torrential rain for the Northeast, Ryder said.