August 26, 2010

Distracted Driving - an Accident on Its Way to Work

You've probably heard the joke about the driver complaining about another driver who cut her off in traffic because he was too busy talking on his cell phone - "Made me spill my hamburger, fries and drink all over myself."

Anchor Risk Management says there is no such thing as a good distraction, so whether it's talking, texting, eating, pets or personal grooming, all are bad. But some are more prevalent than others.

The National Safety Council says that one in four crashes on the highway now involve cell phone talking, dialing or texting. By that statistic alone, cell phones are a huge risk for drivers.

Know Your State's Laws on Cell Phone Use

Twenty states ban all drivers from sending or receiving cell phone text messages while behind the wheel. Another 10 impose restrictions on certain drivers, such as teens and school bus drivers. We can expect more new restrictions to take effect before the end of the year, some possibly banning teens from any cell phone use while driving.

Hands-free Solves Only Part of the Problem

While hands-free devices free up hands and eyes for driving, they don't negate the distraction of talking while driving. Drivers conducting business or personal conversations on cell phones simply cannot pay full attention to driving. In the big picture, it's not much different from daydreaming.

The Smart Drive Systems Distracted Driving Index, a quarterly benchmark of commercial fleet driving distraction rates, just reported distracted driving among new commercial drivers increased 9% in the second quarter of 2010. The top five distractions include:

• Object in hand, down 11% from previous quarter
• Handheld mobile phone, up 27%
• Beverage, up 7%
• Smoking, up 30%
• Operating handheld device, up 38%

These numbers should alarm any employer, but especially those that have vehicle fleets to operate and insure. You can help your clients by letting them know about the problem, and an educational program developed by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS).

Drive Safely Work Week

NETS is sponsoring Drive Safely Work Week 2010 this year Oct. 4-8. This year the focus is on the dangers of distracted driving, with special emphasis on cell phone and mobile device use.

You and your clients can download the Drive Safely Work Week Tool Kit for free now. The kit includes fact sheets, interactive quizzes, communications messages, presentations, graphics and activities for each day of that week to get across the important message of eliminating driving distractions.

Please contact Anchor Risk Management any time you have a driving or other occupational safety question. E-mail Bill Propes, or call him at 214-295-1563.