April is Distracted Driving Month. These Resources Will Help Protect Your Employees and Your Business
On average, nine people a day are killed in distracted driving crashes. More than 3,200 lives were lost in 2024 (NHTSA). If an on-the-job worker is at fault for a distracted driving crash, the employer can be held liable. That makes distracted driving training an important safeguard for your workers and your business.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, so now is a great time to create a campaign that encourages your employees to put down the phone and drive safely. Learn more about distracted driving, employer responsibilities, and free distracted driving resources you use with your team.
Employer Liability
A National Safety Council (NSC) report provides eye-opening information on employer liability and the case for comprehensive cell phone policies. The paper includes sections with case studies, lawsuit awards, federal and state regulations and laws, employer roles, public perceptions and more. Here are some key excerpts from the report:
- An employer may be held legally accountable for negligent employee actions if the employee was acting within the scope of his or her employment at the time of a crash. The key phrase “acting within the scope of his or her employment” can and has been defined broadly in cases of crashes involving cell phones.
- If employers can show that they implemented a total ban policy, educated employees, monitored compliance and enforced the policy, they will be in a more defensible position than if they had not followed these practices.
- The best practice is to ban use of any cell phone device while driving in any vehicle during work hours or for work-related purposes.
The NSC has developed a learning portal with a variety of materials to help employers educate employees about distracted driving and safe driving habits. Topics include:
- Distracted driving
- Passenger restraint
- Aggressive driving
- Backing up safely
- Drowsy driving
- Young drivers
- and more
ComplianceSigns.com offers a variety of safe-driving reminders for the workplace.
Improve Distracted Driving Awareness
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Stop texting and driving
Though several distractions cause accidents, cell phones are a big one. NHTSA claims that sending or reading a text while driving 55 mph is like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed. So…not recommended.
Ensure your employees keep their eyes on the road while driving for work and during their commutes with a don’t text and drive poster.
Encourage safe forklift driving, too
Nearly 95,000 employees are injured each year due to forklift accidents, so your operators must be aware of their surroundings when driving. Driving a forklift while distracted could result in a crash that causes inventory to fall on the forklift or a collision with someone walking through the warehouse.
In other instances, distracted driving could cause the forklift to roll right off the loading dock. None of these situations end well for your operator. Use forklift safety posters to make sure workers are aware and drive with care.
Promote safe driving in construction zones
More than 20,000 workers are injured at road construction sites each year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Not only do your employees need to use caution when driving construction equipment, but they need to keep their eyes on the road when entering, exiting, or driving by construction zones. Work Zone Awareness Week occurs during Safe Driving Month to help keep road workers safe.
Encourage safe driving in construction zones and promote awareness when operating construction equipment, especially when backing up. Check these Tips for Backing Up Vehicles Safely.
Keep workers safe on their commute
Your responsibility for employees’ safety starts and ends the minute they walk through the door, so their commute to and from work isn’t technically your domain. But if you care about your workers — and you should — April is the right time to remind them to drive safely by hanging a safety poster near the exit closest to your parking lot.
Host a distracted driving awareness meeting
Distracted Driving Awareness Month means you get to host a safety meeting. Ensure you have all the materials you need to drive your point home: Accidents caused by distracted driving are preventable. During Distracted Driving Awareness Month, urge your employees to keep their eyes on the road and drive carefully.