Vehicle crashes are the No. 1 cause of workplace death, and distracted driving has become a persistent danger on our roads. In fact, half of drivers feel pressure from employers to drive distracted according to a National Safety Council survey.
While staying productive is important, distracted driving should never be considered a business necessity.
Distracted driving isn’t just a danger to you, it puts everyone around you at risk, including other drivers, pedestrians, road workers and first responders.
Follow these steps to avoid distractions and help keep you, your coworkers and everyone else near our roads safe.
- Set your phone to Do Not Disturb or silence your notifications, and store it in the glove box to avoid distractions.
- Schedule calls for times when you will not be driving.
- Avoid calling or texting your coworkers or clients when you know they are driving.
- Plan your workday with regular breaks when you can make calls and send texts or emails so you aren’t tempted to do so behind the wheel.
- Change your voicemail greeting to something like: “Hi, you’ve reached (insert name), I’m either away from my phone or I’m driving, but please leave me a message.”
- When necessary, let coworkers and clients know when you’ll be driving and when you’ll be available so they know when to expect to hear from you.
- If you are in a vehicle with a distracted driver, whether it’s a coworker or a rideshare driver, speak up for your safety, and hold each other accountable.
- If you need to check something behind the wheel, always pull over safely first - for professional drivers, this includes dispatching devices and mobile data terminals.
- Program your GPS and start your music, podcast or audiobook while the vehicle is safely parked.
Remember, hands-free devices don’t make you safer. While they allow for one more hand to be placed on the steering wheel, they do not reduce the distraction to the brain. The message is a simple one, when you are behind the wheel, your only job is to drive.
To learn more, go to www.nsc.org.
