Why We Need to Hang Up On Our Distracted Driving Addiction

Distracted driving is “a much bigger issue than just texting or talking on the phone,” Strayer stresses. “The genie's out of the bottle with our bad behaviors. [Texting] is the first of a large series of distractions that are making their way into vehicles.”

“I think texting is just a piece of the puzzle,” adds Liggio. “It's become a poster child for distracted driving, and rightly so, but we have a long way to go on a number of other things. The technology is really threatening our safety.”

While new software applications can disable a phone's texting function in a moving vehicle, Liggio isn't convinced this is the answer. He calls this strategy “using technology to fight technology” and says that at the end of the day, it just doesn't make sense as a sustainable solution.

A HANDS-OFF ISSUE

Many cell phone user guides include a section advising drivers to use hands-free headsets if they must use their phones while driving. But according to the research from the University of Utah and NSC, this isn't enough. Freeing your hands doesn't make cell phone use a safe driving behavior.

“The data is actually quite clear that hands-free is not safer,” Strayer says. “It has nothing to do with the fact that you don't have your hand on the wheel, it's the fact that your mind's not on the road.”

According to Strayer, when a driver is engaged in a cell phone conversation, he or she experiences “inattention blindness.” While drivers might be able to “see” everything on the road, they're not actually taking it all in and processing it.

The NSC March 2010 white paper, “Understanding the Distracted Brain: Why Driving While Using Hands-Free Cell Phones is Risky Behavior,” a compilation of more than 30 research studies, compares driver performance with handheld and hands-free cell phones. The paper shows that drivers who use cell phones “look but fail to see up to 50 percent of the information in their driving environment.”

The white paper calls multitasking “a myth” and explains that the brain must juggle tasks, focus and attention when drivers try to multitask, which compromises safety. The paper adds that drivers using cell phones have slower response times and reaction times; problems staying in a lane; and increase their crash risk by 4 times.

So what's the difference between talking on a hands-free headset and chatting with a friend sitting next to you? Why is one risky while the other is relatively safe?

The answer: A second pair of eyes. Passengers are able to participate by pointing out an upcoming exit, or a red light, or the truck barreling over from the adjacent lane. Talking to a remote person on a cell phone, however, removes the driver from his or her immediate driving experience.

COMPROMISED CONVERSATION

In addition to the potential legal issues involved if an employee has an accident on company time while using a cell phone, not to mention the devastating potential for injuries and fatalities, companies may want to consider instituting no-cell-phone driving policies for the simple reason that an employee trying to engage in an important business discussion while driving probably isn't doing a very good job of it.

“When you drive, you're not as good as conversing,” says Strayer. “If you're trying to close a deal, you're not going to be as effective at making those decisions.”

Liggio, meanwhile, compares the importance of distracted driving policies to DUI policies.

“More and more companies today are very strictly enforcing their DUI policy,” he explains. “It perhaps should get to that point in the business world [for distracted driving]. I think that would be more effective than trying to spend money on a technology solution.”

“Do you really want someone watching their favorite episode of Lost in the left lane, [while] in the right lane someone is updating their Facebook page, and behind you, someone's text messaging, and in front you, someone's ordering a pizza?” Strayer asks. “The question is — how dangerous is it to drive home?”

SAFE DRIVING POLICIES

Company leadership can encourage safe driving behavior and avoid costly lawsuits by creating policies that address distracted driving and cell phone use. Chevron, for example, instituted a strict no-cell-phone policy for the company's nearly 60,000 employees worldwide in 2003.

“It applies to all company employees while operating a company-owned or leased vehicle or personal vehicle used for company business,” explains Sean Comey, Chevron media advisor.

Comey adds that Chevron works to include this guideline for its contract workers and also encourages employees to follow the same safety guidelines when they're off the clock, as well. In addition, many company employees, even those who don't regularly drive as part of their job duties, go through a full day of hands-on, behind-the-wheel and classroom safety training through Smith Driver Training.

“This [cell phone] policy, and others like it, are designed to make sure everyone goes home safely at the end of the workday,” Comey says. “If my cell phone rang in the car and the caller ID said it's from the CEO, our chairman would rather have me pull over, wait to take the call and do it safely.”

The agricultural company Monsanto maintains vehicle safety policies and training for all of its approximately 20,000 employees worldwide, and the company's 6,000 drivers receive additional levels of training. According to Lori Waddell, vehicle safety lead, Monsanto stresses defensive driving techniques and conducts “peer” and “commentary” drives to evaluate employee driving behaviors. The company has even shared its driving training within the community to improve roadway safety in general.

“Vehicle safety is part of our culture,” Waddell says. “Drivers know they have a responsibility.”

Monsanto also has a cell phone policy in place that prohibits employees from using handheld cell phones while driving. This includes texting, dialing or using some types of GPS. Hands-free cell phone use currently is permitted, but Waddell points out that “it's an ongoing process, and we are evaluating [hands-free cell phone safety] research now and making determinations from a risk management standpoint.”

Strayer says that he would like to see all-inclusive cell phone policies and worries that hands-free-only restrictions might encourage drivers to use their phones for longer periods or be lulled into a false sense of security.

“If I was a risk manager, it would be a really simple decision. I would just have a policy that said don't use your cell phone to talk or text while you're driving,” Strayer says. “There's no cell phone conversation that's worth someone's life, and there's also no cell phone conversation worth an 8-figure payout to settle some kind of lawsuit.”

“At the end of the day, it's about choice,” adds Liggio. “You have a decision to make: Is what you're going to do on that cell phone over the next couple of minutes really as important as keeping yourself safe and the people around you safe?”