Kwik-Fit Offers Winter Checks

With the onset of freezing driving conditions, fog and wet roads, Kwik-Fit Fleet has once again launched its annual free five-point vehicle check. The free winter safety checks are available at Kwik-Fit centres nationwide and they cover: Batteries – cell strength and terminal connections; Exhausts – condition and fitment including hangers and brackets; Tyres – pressures, tread depth and general condition (including spare); Tracking – to see if tyres show tracking-related wear; Glass/wipers -condition of vehicle glass and wipers.

Road casualty figures from the Department for Transport reveal that last year a total of 319 people were killed on the UK’s roads in November and 310 people in December – figures that were higher than for any other month during the year. Together with road deaths in January and February last year the four months accounted for 35 per cent of all fatalities.

In addition, November and December traditionally account for more people being injured in road traffic accidents than in any other two-month period. In 2005, a total of 48,272 people were injured in the last two months of the year – 18 per cent of the total number of casualties on Britain’s roads last year.

Nigel Davies, sales director of Kwik-Fit Fleet, said: “The importance of companies managing occupational road risk has continued to increase in recent years. The on-set of winter invariably means driving conditions worsen with visibility often poor and roads frequently icy. It is therefore vital that vehicles are in tip-top condition. A failure by drivers to ensure their vehicle’s safety-related equipment is in a first-class condition could be the difference between life and death.”