April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. While most people associate distracted driving with the use of our smartphones, there are many other things that can remove our focus from the road — even for a few seconds.
For example, trying to reset your car’s clock while driving might take 15 seconds of attention, but that equals more than a quarter-mile of driving on the interstate going 70 mph. Serious discussions with passengers can also derail focus from the road, as can eating, applying makeup or any other number of activities.
Distracted driving happens to all of us, but that doesn’t make it OK. When people don’t pay attention to the road ahead, bad things happen. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,522 people died as a result of distracted driving in 2021 — a substantial percentage of all 42,939 people who died in motor vehicle traffic crashes on U.S. roadways that year.
Abe Sabedra, ASP, CHST, CUSP, and Manager, Safety & Fleet for SMG, believes distracted driving is a factor of habits that start at home. “When young adults see their parents prioritize their phones while driving, they assume that’s acceptable behavior,” Sabedra said. “However, I won’t saddle parents with all the blame. A big part is this belief we have to be connected and accessible all the time. If we get a text, we have to read it right now. Placing your phone where you can’t see the screen — in the back seat or in a storage compartment — can help you break the habit. That’s why some companies mandate phones must be placed where the driver can’t see or access them.”
Automakers and technology companies really haven’t done us any favors with their hands-free technology. Because we can still focus on the road, we assume talking while driving is safe. But when your brain is focused on the conversation you’re having — especially if it’s a tense or emotional talk — it’s paying less attention to those brake lights in front of you. Studies prove the ability to multitask is a myth.
However, there are ways we can use technology to reduce the risk. For example, in situations where people need to be available instantly — for a spouse about to go into labor or a sick family member — they can use special ringtones and ignore all other calls. At one company, work phones were set so they’d shut down as soon as a vehicle started moving.
As managers and supervisors, we can have a significant influence on our team’s avoidance of distracted driving, particularly when it comes to the use of smartphones. If we call someone and discover they’re driving, we could say, “Hey, we do need to talk, but I want you to focus on driving. Call me when you get a chance to stop safely.”
Every aspect of safety needs strong buy-in from the very top, and those in charge have to live it. When it comes to distracted driving, not only does management need to clearly communicate that driving outranks everything else, but they also need to demonstrate behavior proving they believe it. Company safety policies should spell out clear expectations for minimizing distractions while behind the wheel, and those expectations need to be enforced. Often, it may simply be a matter of calling someone’s attention to potentially dangerous behavior — and not reacting negatively if someone calls us out for our own.
An assessment by SMG’s Insights team can help companies evaluate their safety culture to ensure measures are in place that protect their most important assets – their people. Contact us to learn more.
