Are Your Employees Distracted Drivers?
Cell phone usage may be just one indication of a “distracted
driver personality type”
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) states that transportation
incidents are the number one cause of on-the-job deaths. To reduce accidents
and fatalities on the roadways and to guard against distracted drivers,
the ASSE recommends companies develop or upgrade their employee driving
guidelines.
Recent information indicates that employers need to be concerned: People
who use cell phones when driving are more likely to be distracted from
the road, even when they are not talking on a phone. Data indicates that
there may be a “distracted-driver” personality type.
The Response Insurance National Driving Distractions Survey compared
attentiveness of cell phone users with non-users when not talking on the
phone. “From the time we issued our first survey, we said that cell
phones we only one part of a societal trend of multi-tasking while driving
and general lack of attention to the road,” said Mory Katz, chairman
of Response Insurance.
There could be a chronic inattentiveness problem for a specific group
of drivers. More than cell phone use, the larger issue might be concentrating
on a larger problem: sensitizing drivers to behavior that causes inattentiveness.
Additional research and much more driver education will be necessary.
Distracted Drivers
Results* show those who use cell phones while
driving are more likely to be distracted, even when not talking
on the phone.
Drivers who talk on cell phones are:
- 56% more likely to be distracted behind the
wheel
- 36% more likely to be distracted thinking about
relationship issues
- 32% more likely to be distracted thinking about
their jobs
- 27% more likely to be distracted thinking about
health issues
- 21% more likely to be distracted by family
issues
- 19% more likely to be distracted thinking about
money issues or bills
Results from the Response Insurance National Driving
Distraction Survey |
|
