April is Nationwide Distracted Driving Consciousness Month, so it’s time to confront problematic driving actions and the insurance policies and practices to fight them. In any case, your small business could also be financially chargeable for accidents, whether or not the car is owned or leased by the corporate or it belongs to the worker driving on firm enterprise. Along with distracted driving, there’s drowsy driving, poor driving habits, and mechanical points. (That is an replace from an earlier weblog.)
Distracted driving
The CDC studies that 9 persons are killed every day within the U.S. due to distracted driving. The three important varieties of distracted driving are:
Visible: taking your eyes off the highway
Guide: taking your fingers off the wheel
Cognitive: taking your thoughts off driving
Any of those distractions may end up from texting, speaking on a cellphone, consuming, and utilizing GPS. Do you know that “speaking on a cellphone whereas driving has about the identical response time and judgment impairment because the 0.08 blood alcohol authorized restrict”?
What to do. Make sure your driving coverage bans staff from utilizing their cell telephones whereas driving. Ought to they accomplish that and be concerned in an accident, you may be uncovered to significantly legal responsibility; your insurer might not pay. Additionally handle the self-driving options of automobiles, which may result in distracted driving. It’s been reported that “over half [of drivers with this technology] admitted to participating in distracting behaviors whereas working their car’s self-driving function.” The know-how could also be a assist, however isn’t any substitute for taking note of the highway.
Drowsy driving
Drowsy driving is a one other drawback that employers ought to pay attention to. In line with analysis launched in March 2024 by the AAA Basis for Visitors Security, 19% of drivers admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel within the earlier 30 days. And drowsiness is a consider 21% of deadly accidents.
Workers might turn into drowsy as a result of they merely don’t get sufficient sleep. Shift employees, industrial drivers, and enterprise vacationers are significantly weak on account of lengthy, odd hours. One more reason for drowsiness could also be drugs that an worker is on.
What to do: Merely asking staff in the event that they’re drained earlier than driving on firm enterprise isn’t an answer. A greater concept is to coach them in regards to the indicators of drowsy driving to allow them to discover options (e.g., discover different technique of transportation; pull over for a nap). The widespread warning indicators embrace:
Frequent yawning or blinking
Problem remembering the previous couple of miles of driving
Lacking an exit
Drifting into different lanes
Hitting a rumble strip on the aspect of the highway.
Discover extra recommendations on stopping drowsy driving from the Nationwide Sleep Basis.
Poor driving habits
Sadly, some drivers don’t observe the principles on the subject of driving. They don’t:
Obey the pace limits or different visitors guidelines
Put on seatbelts
And so they might drive whereas impaired by alcohol or medicine (together with marijuana). Whereas marijuana use could also be authorized in a state, contemplate the impact on driving. FYI: Underneath DOT laws, staff in DOT-related industries in safety-sensitive positions (e.g., drivers) might not use marijuana and should bear common drug testing regardless of adjustments in state legal guidelines.
What to do: As a part of your organization’s driving coverage, make sure you reiterate some fundamentals for the corporate and staff:
Obey visitors legal guidelines, making allowances for climate and visitors situations
Put on seatbelts
Don’t drive when impaired by remedy, alcohol, or medicine
Report any mechanical difficulties in an organization car (e.g., low tire strain)
Keep a legitimate driver’s license
Following up on car recollects
Ultimate thought
A few years in the past, I noticed a bumper sticker saying “Arrive alive.” I by no means forgot it. One other slogan I noticed not too long ago with respect to driving was “Higher late than by no means.” No matter an employer can to do guarantee the protection of their staff who’re engaged in driving for the corporate can produce significant outcomes.
