It’s not uncommon to hear your phone chime while you are driving, followed by the temptation to glance away from the road for a quick peek. It only takes one moment, but those precious seconds not spent actively monitoring the road in front of your vehicle could lead to disaster — and serious losses.
Distracted driving continues to lead to unnecessary accidents, claiming the lives of thousands of Americans each year.1 And when a company driver gets behind the wheel of a vehicle, they have the responsibility to avoid personal distractions in order to make the roads safer for everyone. In turn, businesses may need to consider how best to promote a message of safety for their employees to help prevent losses.
The Myth of Multitasking
Although humans are capable of many amazing things, it is important to consider one simple fact: multitasking does not work.2 The human brain can switch swiftly from task to task, but it cannot focus on more than one task at a time, even though it may appear that way to an outside observer. It is one of the many reasons why mobile device use and other common distractions can have such dire consequences.
Solutions to Discourage Distracted Driving
Auto crashes are not going away, and their financial consequences keep growing. An important thing do as business owners is realize that your drivers — and business reputation — could be at risk. But, auto crashes are preventable. Prevention strategies include:
- Conducting employee safety meetings on your company’s driving policy. Present information in a fresh, memorable way to increase retention when you reinforce the message with your team.
- Utilizing risk management resources, such as support materials for safety meetings, safe-driving training videos, sample driving policies, and customizable distracted driving and safe driving management plans.
- Helping employee drivers understand that they each have a responsibility to practice safe driving when out on the road.
Keeping Safety Top of Mind
Any incident surrounding your drivers or vehicles could lead to high-stakes litigation or devastating losses. By keeping a close eye on your company drivers, and encouraging them to incorporate safety-conscious habits into their daily driving, you can work to make corrections before a serious accident or loss occurs. Federated Insurance clients can access a variety of safe driving risk management resources, including a customizable sample driving policy, safe-driving training videos, customizable distracted driving and risk management plans, and more by logging in to mySHIELD®.
1 - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Statistics 2019. https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving. Accessed 2/24/22.
2 - Cleveland Clinic – Health Essentials. Statistics 3/10/21. Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials. Accessed 2/24/22.
This article is for general information and risk prevention only and should not be considered legal or other expert advice. The recommendations herein may help reduce, but are not guaranteed to eliminate, any or all risk of loss. The information herein may be subject to, and is not a substitute for, any laws or regulations that may apply. Some of the services referenced herein may be provided by third parties wholly independent of Federated. Federated provides access to these services with the understanding that neither Federated nor its employees provide legal or other expert advice. All products and services not available in all states. Qualified counsel should be sought with questions specific to your circumstances and applicable laws. ©2022 Federated Mutual Insurance Company.
