Fall driving safety tips for horticulture businesses

Fall roads bring new hazards that your team likely hasn’t faced all summer, including:

• Wet leaves that reduce traction and hide road markings

• Earlier sunsets, reducing visibility and making pedestrians, cyclists, and road hazards harder to see

• Cold mornings that can bring frost and black ice

• Fog, which can reduce visibility with little warning

• Increased deer activity around dawn and dusk

• School buses, farm equipment, and harvest traffic, adding slower-moving vehicles to the road

For horticultural workers like you who start the day early, travel rural routes, transport valuable plants or floral products, and operate loaded trucks and trailers, these risks can compound quickly.

Conduct a fall vehicle maintenance inspection before the season changes. Review this checklist with your team:

Inspect tread depth and look for signs of uneven wear or damage. Also, check the tire pressure on a regular basis. Tires can lose 1–2 pounds of pressure for every 10-degree temperature drop. Properly inflated tires improve control, raise fuel efficiency, and extend tire life.

Have brakes inspected for wear before wet leaves, frost, and slick roads add new risks and increase stopping distances.

Shorter days make working headlights especially important for safety. Test headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and trailer lights to make sure all are working effectively.

Replace worn wiper blades, refill washer fluid, and inspect windshields for any chips or dings. A dirty windshield can make early-morning or late-afternoon sun glare even worse.

Cooler temperatures expose weak batteries. Test both batteries and charging systems.

Confirm heaters and defrosters are properly working before cold weather arrives, both for driver safety and windshield visibility.

Those colorful trees are beautiful to look at, but they do bring some associated risks during the fall season, such as:

Wet leaves function like many other slick road surfaces. When driving in an area with wet leaves, slow down, increase following distance, and avoid sudden braking or sharp steering.

Fall storms can leave tree limbs, fallen branches, and landscaping debris in the road. Scan the landscape ahead, leaving yourself time to react to any hidden obstacles.

Leaves can also hide potholes, curbs, lane markings, drainage areas, and branches or debris. Don’t assume a leaf-covered stretch of road is clear. Be cautious and attentive.

Bridges, overpasses, shaded roads, and rural routes can freeze before the surrounding pavement does. Every fall, some drivers forget that road surfaces on bridges are colder than the rest of the road. They’re surprised when they lose control on a bridge where a rapid change in surface temperatures can create a short stretch of frost or black ice.

Less daylight means more driving at dawn, dusk, and in the dark—which is often much more tiring for drivers. Reduce speed, increase following distance, minimize distractions, and allow extra travel time. Remind your drivers that low-angle sunlight can also create intense glare during their morning and evening routes.

Fall is peak deer season in many parts of the country, and deer are especially active during dawn and dusk—often the same hours when your crews are starting or ending their routes. For drivers on rural roads near fields and wooded areas, this risk is particularly high.

If a deer enters the road, brake firmly while maintaining control of the vehicle. Avoid swerving, which can send your truck or trailer into oncoming traffic, a guardrail, or another roadside hazard.

Fall also involves more interaction with school buses, farm equipment, cyclists, pedestrians, and slow-moving vehicles, particularly for horticulture businesses that operate in residential and rural communities. Keep these precautions in mind:

• Give tractors and agricultural equipment extra space

• Never pass a stopped school bus

• Expect more pedestrian activity in residential areas.

Plants, tools, and equipment can shift quickly when a driver brakes or turns. Before every trip, make sure your drivers are:

• Securing loads properly

• Inspecting trailer connections and ensuring trailer brakes (if equipped) are working properly

• Avoiding sudden acceleration or braking

• Accounting for shifting cargo

Use seasonal safety meetings to reinforce fall driving expectations. Review company driving policies, emergency communication procedures, route planning, and vehicle inspection requirements.

Keep an emergency kit in every vehicle, and encourage your drivers to report any maintenance issues as soon as they arise.

As fall driving conditions change quickly, preparing vehicles and planning ahead can help reduce accidents, vehicle downtime, and disruptions during a busy season. Help keep your employees safe and customers happy by training your drivers on the best ways to handle this season.

Accidents still happen. That’s where commercial auto insurance coverage can help. If you’d like a custom quote—or you’re a current customer looking for assistance in training resources, claims analyses, workshops, and on-site consultations to help identify and mitigate risks—contact us. We’re here to help you and your business.