The National Survey of Distracted Driving found that there were “very few situations when drivers would never talk on the phone or never send texts or e-mails while driving,” demonstrating that distracted driving continues to threaten the safety of drivers everywhere, including employees. The majority of the survey respondents supported bans on handheld cell phone use and an overwhelming percent support bans on texting.
In a previous blog post, I urged businesses to consider implementing workplace policies to help fight this growing threat and develop programs that will generate awareness about the dangers of using mobile devices while behind the wheel. In our attempts to reduce injuries and fatalities caused by distracted driving, State Fund has implemented a policy to ban phone communications while driving. Based on recommendations from State Fund’s Chief of Workplace Safety, Len Welsh, State Fund’s policy has now changed so driving while using a cell phone or any other electronic data communication device is not allowed while on State Fund business. Although California law allows talking or texting “hands free” while driving under certain circumstances, State Fund Policy does not permit talking or texting, even “hands free”. Employees are instructed to safely pull over and stop their vehicle in a safe location if they must engage in electronic communication while behind the wheel.
In September 2009, President Obama signed an Executive Order directing federal employees and contractors not to engage in text messaging while driving government-owned vehicles, and using electronic equipment supplied by the government while driving on official government business. Similarly, many other private and public organizations have implemented their own distracted driving policies. However, alarming statistics clearly indicate a need to reinforce existing policies and implement stronger penalties for those who engage in phone communications while driving.
Today, texting while driving has replaced drinking while driving as the leading cause of accidents and deaths of teenage drivers, and incidents resulting from distracted driving are increasing at an alarming rate. You may recall that in the late nineties, we faced a similar situation with drinking and driving. At the time, local governments and organizations like MADD stepped-up efforts to create national campaigns to showcase the dangers of this behavior, while government regulations enforced stricter laws and penalties for offenders.
Downward trends of drinking and driving can be attributed to increasing penalties for drunk driving. The second factor contributing to fewer DUI fatalities is public attitude. According to DrinkingAndDriving.Org, “Increased awareness and understanding help people to make better choices. This same awareness and understanding leads to a common view now shared by most that drinking and driving is in fact, a downright stupid thing to do.”
What can we learn from initiatives against drunk driving to help generate public awareness and combat the growing concerns around distracted driving?
While stronger laws against distracted driving at a state and national level are helping to change individual perceptions on the behavior, companies also need to educate their employees by showing that distracted driving is as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol. An indication that our collaborative efforts are successful will be in the numbers, when we start seeing a steady decline in incidents resulting from distracted driving.
Has your company implemented a distracted driving policy? How are you addressing employees that are engaging in distracted driving behaviors? We urge you to act in advance using national statistics, and not wait until you have some of your own before strengthening your business policies regarding smart phone use.
I would love to hear best practices around implementing distracted driving policies and creative ways in which you are engaging with employees.
State Compensation Insurance Fund is not a branch of the State of California.
