Distracted Driving

Employer Costs

The National Safety Council  Injury Facts estimates motor vehicle crashes cost employers $170.8 billion in 2018. The NSC estimate takes into account both tangible economic costs as well as less obvious costs associated with lost quality of life.

Question of Liability is One You’ll Want to Address

Cell phone incidents: Employers are being held liable  for employee crashes, even when employees are using hands-free devices.  This National Safety Council white paper shows real cases and explains why employers should care.

What Employers Can Do

In an effort to protect companies  and their finances, many employers are implementing corporate cell phone bans . Having a distracted driving policy in place doesn’t just make good safety sense; it makes good business sense.

A corporate cell phone ban might ask employees to:

  • Turn off wireless phones or other devices before starting the car
  • Inform clients, associates and business partners that calls will be returned when no longer driving
  • Pull over to a safe location and put the vehicle in park if a call must be made

Your staff will have many questions about a cell phone ban and the risks of distracted driving, so prepare yourself to answer them.

  • Get the employer Cell Phone Policy Kit from the National Safety Council and emphasize how a safe driving policy will ensure a safe workplace. Distribute the policy and give employees time to read and react to it
  • You should promote distraction-free driving all year, while building on safety events like April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month
  • Get videos, infographics and more tools to promote safe driving from the National Safety Council

More on distracted driving …