The summer holiday period is traditionally seen as a time when the roads get busier, as families battle to make their way to their hard-earned breaks away. Well, 2017 data from leading vehicle tracking device provider, RAM Tracking, has honed in on business activity and it seems that this period is actually far quieter for those out on the road generating revenue.

Customer data gathered by RAM Tracking compares traffic volumes 6 weeks prior to the 2017 school holidays and during the summer break.

Whilst the findings highlight that there is a minor drop of 1% less vehicles on UK roads for the duration of the school holiday period, this equates to 33% less kilometres driven during the entire period and – even more significantly, 22% less per day.

What is clear from the results is that this small drop in traffic has meant that traffic is likely flowing more freely and drivers aren’t having to add unnecessary mileage onto their vehicles (by taking diversions or idling in traffic jams).

For both fleet and operational managers, it is important to take account of these factors of how the summer holiday driving experience could affect their enterprise and efficiency – and make suitable adjustments to ensure that they benefit. While less vehicles on the road means less chance of a delay in reaching customers, the gift of extra time – a precious resource in the world of business – is one that can be utilised in other ways during this period. Additionally, there is more opportunity to save fuel by looking at alternative routes that are freed up by less vehicles being on the road than usual.

Commenting on the data, Chris McClellan, CEO at RAM Tracking, said:

“Remaining solvent and successful is becoming more and more challenging for UK businesses, as competition and political uncertainty ramp up. The way that businesses have looked to make efficiencies around both time and money is in direct reaction to this, demonstrating the agility and resilience of UK enterprise.

“However, without guidance or any indication of where these efficiencies could be driven, businesses will remain in the dark. The data above confirms that the time that is freed up as a result of less vehicles being on the road, provides businesses with the argument that they need to think more strategically about their hours of travel.

“Our vehicle tracking customers can already see the benefits and can use technology to identify faster routes and times of day. By tracking their entire fleet they are now in a position to identify the best routes at any given time and dispatch their vehicles with greater efficiency and speed.”