MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY AT WORK
Distracted Driving at Work
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Distracted driving occurs any time you take your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mind off your primary task: driving safely. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of being involved in a motor vehicle crash.1 Workers in many industries and occupations spend all or part of their workdays on the road. One study showed that compared with other drivers, those who were at work were more likely to be in a hurry to reach their destination, think about work, be tired, or use a cell phone.2
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Most U.S. states ban texting while driving, and a growing number also ban the use of handheld devices. Get information on state laws.
Drivers of commercial motor vehicles (e.g., large trucks and buses) are not allowed to send or read texts while driving, or use a handheld device while driving. Find information on commercial motor vehicle laws.
- Reading a text message
- Looking up directions
- “Rubbernecking” (i.e., craning one’s neck to get a better view) at a crash site
Talking and texting on a phone are driving distractions. Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distractions. Hands-free phones are not the solution. Research shows that they are just as distracting as handheld phones.
Your brain has a limited capacity for attention. Any non-driving task you perform while behind the wheel reduces the amount of attention available to you for detecting and reacting to potential dangers on the road. The less attention you give to driving, the greater the chance you will be involved in a crash. A worker who is driving a motor vehicle while negotiating a complex or contentious business deal over the phone at the same time is giving neither task the attention it deserves.
- Research has shown that drivers who are using cell phones may be looking at but failing to see up to 50% of the information in their driving environment. Usually, the driver’s “field of view” is narrowed to what is directly in front of them. As a result, the missing 50% of information may include a stop sign, a stopped vehicle, or a child.3
- In 2020:
- 13% of all motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States involved distraction4
- 3,142 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver4
- 587 non-occupants (e.g., pedestrians and cyclists) died in a crash that involved a distracted driver4
- At any given time in 2020, an estimated 2.8% of all drivers on the road were visibly using a handheld device, representing a slight decrease from 2.9% observed in 2019.5
- Research suggests that distraction is present during 52% of normal driving. Common distractions are: interacting with a passenger (15%), using a cell phone (6%), and using systems such as climate control and radio (4%).6
- On average, a non-fatal injury crash at work that involves distraction costs the employer $100,310.7
- Reaching for things inside the vehicle
- Using a handheld device
- Adjusting the radio
- Eating or drinking
- Applying makeup
- Talking on the phone
- Arguing with a passenger
- Thinking about your next appointment
Employers: Use the following recommendations to prevent distracted driving.
- Ban all phone use (texting, handheld, hands-free) while driving a company vehicle and ban use of company-issued phones while driving a personal vehicle.8, 9
- Require workers to pull over in a safe location to look up directions, text, or to make or receive a call.8, 9
- Consider using phone-blocking technology to limit workers’ cell phone use while driving.8, 9
- Consider using technology that detects and warns drivers of distracted driving behaviors (such as cameras that detect when eye gaze is not on the road).8, 9
- Prepare workers before implementing these policies by communicating:
- That driving is their primary job when they are behind the wheel8, 9
- How distracted driving puts them at risk of a crash8, 9
- What they need to do to comply with your company’s policies8, 9
- What action you will take if they do not follow these policies8, 9
- Consider having workers acknowledge that they have read and understand these policies.8, 9
- Provide workers with information to help them talk to their family about distracted driving.8, 9
- Do not use your phone while driving.8, 9
- Pull over in a safe location to look up directions, text, or to make or receive a call.8, 9
- Make necessary adjustments (e.g., adjust controls, program directions) to your car before your drive.8, 9
- Do not reach to pick up items from the floor, open the glove box, or try to catch falling objects in the vehicle.8, 9
- Avoid emotional conversations with passengers, or pull over in a safe location to continue the conversation. For normal conversation, passengers in the vehicle can often help lower crash risk for adult drivers by keeping them focused on driving.8, 9
- Focus on the driving environment — the vehicles around you, pedestrians, cyclists, and objects or events that may mean you need to act quickly to control or stop your vehicle.8, 9
A policy to reduce distracted driving in your workforce is a critical part of a motor vehicle safety program.8, 9 Successful implementation of a policy demonstrates commitment to the safety of your workforce, helps prevent distraction-related crashes, and can help manage your organization’s liability in the event of a crash.8, 9
As you develop your policy, think about each of the elements in the following checklist.8, 9 Not all may apply to your organization.
- Who will we involve in developing the policy ?
- Who will the policy cover?
- Which vehicles will be covered?
- What devices will the policy cover?
- Will emergency use be permitted?
- What other exceptions, if any, will be permitted?
- What are employees expected to do once the policy is in place?
- What administrative actions will support the policy?
- Will we use technology to monitor compliance with the policy?
- What are the consequences for violating the policy?
- How will we prepare to roll out the policy?
- How will employees acknowledge that they have read and understand the policy?
- What resources will help me develop and implement a policy?
- National Safety Council (NSC): The NSC Safe Driving Toolkitexternal icon includes numerous tools to support development and implementation of a distracted-driving policy.
- Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS): NETS offers a distracted driving moduleexternal icon as part of its Drive Safely Work Week campaign materials.
- ANSI Z15.1 standard: ANSI Z15.1 – 2017external icon is a national fleet safety management standard that includes requirements for distracted-driving policies.
- Distracted Driving
What’s the science behind cognitive distraction? Are cell phones the main cause of distracted driving crashes? What should you include in a distracted driving policy? Explore answers to these questions in Behind the Wheel at Work. - Safe Driving Kit
Download the National Safety Council’s Safe Driving Kit for tips to help establish and implement a cell phone policy. - Distraction.gov
Get safety campaign materials as part of a distracted driving toolkit from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety. - Mobile phone use: a growing problem of driver distraction
Learn from the World Health Organization about current knowledge related to distractions caused by cell phone use while driving. - Distracted Driving
Explore the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) site for information and tools on distracted driving. - Parents Are the Key to Safe Teen Drivers
Download materials for parents to promote safe teen driving practices, including preventing distracted driving.
References
1National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [2013]. Visual-manual NHTSA driver distraction guidelines for in-vehicle electronic devices: notice of federal guidelines. Federal Register 78(81):24818-24890.
2Salminen S, Lähdeniemi E [2002]. Risk factors in work-related traffic. Transportation Research Part F 5(1):77-86.
3National Safety Council [2012]. Understanding the distracted brain. Why driving while using hands-free is risky behavior. Itasca, IL: National Safety Council. White Paper.
4National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [2022]. Distracted driving 2020. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
5National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [2022]. Driver electronic device use in 2020 [https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813184]. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
6Dingus TA, Guo F, Lee S, Antin JF, Perez M, Buchanan-King M, Hankey J [2016]. Driver crash risk factors and prevalence evaluation using naturalistic driving data. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113(10):2636-2641.
7Network of Employers for Traffic Safety [2022]. Cost of motor vehicle crashes – 2019. Vienna, VA: NETS.
8NIOSH [2015]. Preventing work-related motor vehicle crashes. By Pratt SG, Rodríguez-Acosta RL. Morgantown, WV: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2015-111.
9National Safety Council [2019]. Safe Driving Kit [downloadable].