Download the Winter Driving Guide – stay safe on the road
Winter conditions test all of us – and our vehicles – in ways we can’t ignore.
Cold snaps turn minor faults into major problems. Stopping distances grow.
Visibility drops. And every year, breakdowns rise as temperatures fall.
Winter driving demands more care, more checking, more planning.
Simple steps make all the difference: checking tyres and pressures, topping up
fluids, testing lights and wipers, keeping your battery healthy, and carrying an
emergency kit. Adjusting your driving matters too – slowing earlier, increasing
your gap, choosing safer routes, and never heading out tired.
Read our Winter Driving Guide for practical steps, checklists and advice to
help you prepare.
We’ve also included in the attachments opposite a winter driving toolkit for
managers which includes a briefing pack, depot screen and Viva Engage posts.
Sleepiness is serious… keeping you alert on the road
Keeping the railway open 24/7 pushes us to our limits.
Thousands of us work shifts that disrupt sleeping patterns. And many of our drivers are active between 2am and 6am and 2pm to 4pm, peak periods for fatigue. For too long we’ve accepted we must push through tiredness.
After being awake for more than 17 hours, your brain can begin to work like you’re at the UK drink drive limit*.
You wouldn’t drive while drunk, so why drive while dangerously tired?
Download our Driver Fatigue Toolkit and watch the following video to find out more.
*Dawson & Reid (1997)
Drive Safe – working with you to reduce road risks
Drive Safe is a national Road Risk Reduction programme from the National Road Risk Community of Practice. It’s a coordinated national effort to drive our risks down and is based on creating positive, two-way conversations between our safety teams and those who drive on Network Rail business.
Drive Safe aims to change our culture around driving by involving you, our people, in finding new solutions to the challenges of driving for work.
Learn more, get involved and spread the word
Useful downloads:
Managing driver fatigue is a team effort. Download our materials and briefing pack and join the conversation:
Driver Fatigue Toolkit
To learn more about the programme and find safety briefings, posters, Viva Engage content, a depot screen and our launch film:
Drive Safe toolkit
To remind yourself of best practice:
Drive Safe: Back to basics guide
For the latest guidance on all aspects of our fleet and driving policies:
The Driver’s Handbook (v15)
To view our brand guidelines and download logos:
Drive Safe Brand Guidelines
Drive Safe will evolve and the latest content will appear on this page, as we tackle challenges such as speeding and distractions.
Work safe, drive safe, home safe.
