If you employ drivers then it is important that your drivers are safe on the road for their own sake and for the sake of the company that they are representing. Distracted driving is responsible for 15% of all injury crashes and 8% of all fatal crashes. With these figures in mind, employers must understand how they can reduce carefree driving.
Here are 4 ways an employer can reduce distracted driving among employees.
1. Provide Employees With Safety Driving Training
First and foremost, one of the most effective ways to reduce distracted driving among employees is to provide all staff with safety driving training. Findings from the distracted driving statistics 2021 are incredibly alarming and these can be used to highlight just how dangerous distracted driving can be. Carefree driving can lead to several kinds of accidents such as rear-end crashes, head-on collisions, multi-car pile-ups, T-bone wrecks, and rollover accidents. There are lots of online resources, speakers, and workshops available for employers to use on this topic. It is worth noting that these training options do have the potential to be quite upsetting so all employees should be warned that if they start to feel uncomfortable that they can take a break outside. While the videos/workshops can be difficult to endure it is an effective method to make sure that all employees understand the extent of their driving responsibilities. To further enhance our commitment to road safety and ensure that our employees are equipped with the highest standards of driving expertise, we encourage all eligible staff to sign up for CDL training. This specialized program goes beyond basic safety practices, addressing the unique challenges of operating larger vehicles and emphasizing the importance of focused driving, which is especially critical in light of the alarming distracted driving statistics from 2021.
2. Ensure All Employees Put Cell Phones Away
Cell Phone use while driving has been directly attributed to 13% of all fatal distracted driving accidents. A study conducted found that over 30% of people had admitted to texting while driving and what is so concerning about this is that you are 23 times more likely to crash if you are texting at the wheel. It is such a simple rule that can be enforced among employees and this will significantly reduce distracted driving. If employees are caught using their cellphones while on the road then there ought to be repercussions for this driver so that the others know that they can not get away with it. You can’t force employees to put away their phones but you can heavily encourage it.
3. Enforce Regular Breaks
Employees need to have breaks to make sure that they are in the right frame of mind for driving. Sometimes employees will skip out on taking much-needed breaks and want to just push through and get the job done. This is when mistakes happen and so it is vital that you find a system that ensures and regulates that all employees are taking breaks. Even a quick ten-minute break will give employees a chance to rest and refresh their minds before getting back out on the road. If employees look as though they are tired you could gently suggest that they have an energy drink, a coffee, or even a quick power nap before they begin driving again.
While it can be difficult to force every employee to take their breaks, it should be heavily encouraged and monitored as much as is reasonably possible.
4. All Employees Must Eat/Drink Before Driving
Most people will have had a meal behind the wheel at one point in their driving career. You may think this is no big deal but the reality is that eating/drinking behind the wheel is the most common cause of distracted driving. Often when drivers are rushed they will try to eat breakfast or lunch on the go, which means drivers will have to have at least one hand off of the wheel. Also, it means drivers will be taking their eyes off of the road to pick up and put down items. It only takes a second for a crash to occur and so even if employees’ eyes are off the road momentarily this is very risky behavior and could lead to serious injury. So with that in mind, what you can do as an employer is to heavily encourage all drivers to eat before they hit the road. Create snack stations around the break room and offer free fruit to drivers in the mornings once a week as a scheme to encourage eating prior to driving.
As an employer, you will not be able to see what your drivers are doing out on the road, but what you can do is make sure they have all the facts and knowledge they need to make a well-informed decision about how they drive.
