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Road Safety Week

17th November 2025

It's Road Safety Week!

 Brake, the road safety charity, is holding their biggest road safety campaign for this entire week! Organisations from across the UK are getting involved to share important road safety messages, a resource, and join the call for safe roads for everyone.

Who are Brake?

Brake is a national charity that campaigns for safer roads and provides support to victims of road crashes. Since 1995, Brake has been working to stop the tragedy of road deaths and serious injuries in traffic accidents, make steets safer and provide support for road crash victims. They runs initiatives like the UK's biggest road safety campaign, Road Safety Week (Opens in new window), and offers the National Road Victim Service (Opens in new window). Find out more about what Brake is doing keep our roads safe here (Opens in new window).

Alongside thousands of organisations nationally, we help to support Brake’s objectives and aim to encourage road safety by:

  • Helping to build understanding on what a safe vehicle is and why they are so vital in helping make our roads safer and preventing road death and injury.
  • Spread awareness on the importance of ensuring a vehicle is roadworthy before every journey and how to carry out regular checks.
  • Encourage discussions on the latest vehicle safety technology and how they make can make us safer.
  • Help organisations that employ people who drive for work to understand the importance of buying and leasing the safest vehicles and carrying out essential safety checks before every journey.

Helping you keep safe on the road:

As your trusted fleet and mobility partner, we are committed to ensuring your safety and wellbeing throughout every stage of your journey.

We have provided some key information regarding road safety along resources that can provide practical advice, tips and guidance you may wish to keep in mind before starting your journey.

Tyres are one of the most important components of a vehicle and are key to keeping you safe during your journey. As poorly maintained tyres reduces braking time, which can make it much harder to stop should an emergency arise, especially on slippery road surfaces. Additionally, may end up using more fuel if driving with

Therefore, it is important that you ensure that your tyre has the minimum tread depth, recommended tyre pressures and is free from damage. As the UK law requires cars and vans to have a minimum tread depth of at least 1.6mm across the central three quarters of the tread around its entire circumference. Therefore, driving with dangerous or defective tyres also puts drivers at risk of a fine of up to £2,500 and three points on their licence. That is per tyre, so four illegal tyres could mean a fine of £10,000 and 12 penalty points.

Here are some checkpoints you can use to ensure your tyres are safe before starting your journey:

  1.  All tyres are legal (with a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm) and are correctly inflated.
  2. There are no deep cuts or damage to the tyre walls.
  3.  No cord is visible on the tyres.
  4.  All wheel nuts are secure and tightened properly.
  5. The spare tyre or inflation kit is present.
  6. There is no irregular wear and tear to the tyres

For more information on tyre safety, check out our below factsheets:

As the winter months approach, it is important that you ensure you and your vehicle are prepared for the unique hazards that the colder season can bring.

Here are some useful winter driving tips:

  • Carry winter essentials as it is important to be prepared for anything that could happen, especially in icy or colder conditions. It is worth carrying blankets, torch, screen wash, ice scraper, de-icer and a portable charger.
  • Avoid using cruise control on winding roads, heavy traffic, foggy, icy, slippery/wet road conditions, as it could result in loss of vehicle control, serious injury or even death.
  • It can take 10x longer to stop on slippery roads, so drive slowly and allow extra room to slow down and stop.
  • If you start to skid ease off the accelerator and do not brake suddenly
  • Low winter sun can obscure your vision: use your visor and keep a pair of sunglasses in your vehicle to avoid the sun glare and being dazzled.

If you are driving an EV, you may want to consider:

  • Planning shorter journeys: Battery chemistry can slow down in colder weather, and you can lose up to 40% range, so plan short journeys with extra charging margin in mind and avoid letting the battery drop below 20%.
  • Using winter/sow mode:  This can help improve the traction and stability of the vehicle on slippery roads during the winter months as it enhances wheel control.
  •  Pre-conditioning your battery before heading to a charger: this allows the battery to warm itself before charging and it protects the battery cells.

For more winter driving tips check out our Winter Driving Factsheet.download (pdf( (Opens in new window)download (pdf(

It is always worth ensuring that your vehicle is road-worthy and safe before starting your journey.

Conducting regular ‘walkaround’ checks can help you identify and prevent any serious problems with your vehicle, which could help you avoid future breakdowns, or road accidents. 

They only take a few minutes to conduct and  make a big diffeence to your safety, and your vehicle's reliability.

Here are some things you should check for:

Lights: Ensure all internal and external lights, such as indicators, dashboard lights, brake light, are working correctly.

Mirrors and Glass: Ensure that all mirrors are secure, aligned and undamaged and that your view of the road is not obscured by any load, discoloured glass or stickers.

Brakes: Check that both the hand and foot brakes are working correctly and do not have any excess travel.

Battery: Check that the battery is secure, there are no leaks and that the cables are connected correctly.

Fluids: Check that the brake fluid, engine coolant, engine oil, power steering fluid, windscreen washer fluid and water levels are correct.

For a more information on what you need to inspect during a walkaround check, please see the below factsheets:

Are you fit for the road?

Whilst you should always check that your vehicle is roadworthy, it is also highly important to ensure that you are fit to drive before starting a journey.

Fitness to drive or ride can include several factors including alcohol, drugs, vision, health and fatigue. Roads can be dangerous environments, and you must be sober and sharp to navigate them safely.

1. Driving under the influence:

Are you planning a night out and don’t know whether to drive or take a taxi? Or unsure about whether to drive the morning after a night out?

To keep yourself and others safe, it always best to avoid driving after drinking as even small amounts of alcohol can affect your driving and could lead to an unfortunate traffic accident. Additionally, you could face serious penaltiesdownload (pdf(download (pdf( for if you are caught over the legal drink drive limits – you could be imprisoned, banned from driving or face a fine if you are found guilty of drink driving!

It is also important to note that if you have had a good night out drinking, this could mean allowing up to 12 hours between your last drink and taking the car out the next day!

For more information on this, please see the below factsheets:

 

2. Driving when tired:

Similar to driving under the influence, being tired whilst driving is never a good mix. Feeling sleepy when you are on the road can be dangerous as your reaction time, awareness and ability to make judgement is significantly reduced. The impact this can have on your safety and the wellbeing of other road suers should not be underestimated.  You should always ensure you get enough sleep before driving. Being well rested, especially for long distance journeys is essential. For tips on avoiding tiredness when driving, take a look at our factsheet on the Dangers of Driving When Tireddownload (pdf(download (pdf(.

 

3. Health and fatigue:

It is your responsibility to notify the DVLA if you develop a condition that could impair your driving. Failure to do so can result in a fine, driving ban or prosecution if you cause a crash. If you suspect you have developed a condition, seek medical advice immediately. Check the DVLA’s guidance on health conditions and driving for advice

Taking care of your wellbeing as a driver or passenger is extremely important, and we encourage you to read through our Driver Wellbeing factsheetdownload (pdf(download (pdf(, for useful information to make your life on the road easier.

Vehicle Technology: How it keeps you safe:

Modern vehicles are now equipped with new technology to help reduce human error, enhance driver safety and prevent crashes. Understanding some of these key features can help enhance your journey.

 

Advance Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)

This refers to a group of several safety features on a vehicle, which are designed to work quietly in the background to enhance safety, comfort and awareness. These technologies aim to support the driver, not replace them.

Some of these features include:

Reverse camera and sensors: To help give you a better view of behind your vehicle, detect obstacles and alert the driver as the vehicle gets closer to an object.

Lane Keep Assist: This detects lane markings and gently steers the car back if it drifts unintentionally, which helps prevent sideswipe or road-edge incidents.

Adaptive Cruise Control: This maintains a safe following distance by automatically adjusting your speed.

There are several ADAS features available and dependant on your vehicle. Therefore, you must ensure you read the vehicle handbook to understand these features and when to use them, before setting off to avoid using them incorrectly.

 

Anti-lock Braking System (ABS):

As most of us may already know, the ABS prevents the wheels locking up from heavy braking by automatically adjusting the brake pressure. It also helps you steer and control the vehicle safely during emergency stops or slippery or wet conditions.

  • Having a functional ABS can provide you with many benefits:
  • Increased steering control
  •  Reducing stopping distance so that you stop straight and safely
  • Improves safety in wet or icy conditions as it reduces loss of control on slippery roads
  • Reduces wear on your brake pads so that they last longer

 

Airbags:

Airbags are a critical part of a vehicle’s safety system. They protect the driver during a collision by cushioning the impact and reducing risk.

However, airbags aren’t just as effective on their own, here are some safety guidance information to keep in mind:

Always wear a seatbelt: Airbags are designed to work with seatbelts, not replace them. Proper seatbelt use and seating position are essential for airbag effectiveness.

Maintain correct driving position:   Sit at least 25 cm (10 inches) away from the steering wheel. 

Warning lights:  If the airbag warning light stays on or flashes, have the system inspected by an authorised repairer immediately. 

Post-collision:  Airbags and sensors are single-use components — they must be replaced after deployment. 

Check out our new vehicle safety systems factsheetsdownload (pdf(download (pdf( for more information on how these different features work to keep you safe.

 

Road safety week provides a reminder to monitor our driving habits and to ensure that we are doing what is best for the safety of ourselves and other road users. However, we must make safe driving practices a habit and keep up with regular checks all year around, as the road can be unpredicatable. 

We enecourage you to share this article amongst colleagues, friends and family, to raise awareness of the importance of road safety and to further encourage safe driving practices and reduce the risk of future breakdowns, injuries and accidents.

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