Motortrades Insight Magazine Online
Related Tags: Snow, Ice, Accidents, Green Flag, Productivity, Thrill, Public Transport, Arctic Weather
Snow and ice result in £318m in lost productivity
NEW research has discovered the snow and icy conditions of last week resulted in millions of drivers staying off the road, after being warned by weather experts and police that the conditions were too dangerous.It is thought one in five drivers were afraid of ending up in an accident so did not drive, while a further five per cent (2.3m people) attempted to drive but were unable to make much progress due to the ice.
The icy conditions were too much for many drivers. In Kent, one commuter decided to use a snowboard down this slope as his means of travel. Around 51.4m work hours are thought to have been lost, resulting in a cost in excess of £318m, based on the minimum hourly wage of £6.19 per hour - impacting employers and employees alike.
According to Green Flag Breakdown, around 8.5m adults have been unable to work their contracted hours because of the 'adverse weather'. Public transport was overcrowded, with drivers taking to the expensive trains and buses, only to find they have to stand up for lengthy journeys.
Meanwhile, millions of danger-seeking drivers are said to have been attracted to the thrill of driving in icy conditions, with 17 per cent of British drivers claiming to have enjoyed the challenge of navigating the roads.
Miranda Schunke, spokesperson for Green Flag, said: "It is not only the roads that have been frozen in the last week, for millions work commitments have been put on ice. There have been a record number of incidents of motorists that have found themselves in difficulty on the road.
"In future, we may see more drivers following the continental lead and investing in winter tyres and snow chains to help them cope with difficult driving conditions."
While a quarter of men enjoyed the icy conditions, only eight per cent of women shared the apparent thrill - taking the risk of losing control of their vehicles and ending up in a serious accident.
Over 3.8 million people have missed at least a full day of work in the last week alone as a result of the arctic weather conditions. Over 590,000 people missed at least two days of work in the last week.
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