Hands Free Driving

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Looking to increase worker safety, employers are enacting policies banning use of electronic devices behind the wheel.



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Image: pixelfit/iStockphoto



In 2014, the House passed a cellphone ban- no hand-held devices while driving in Vermont. This law has prevented many accidents and saved many lives. Reducing cellphone use behind the wheel is important on an individual level and for employers! We want all people to have maximum safety when on the road.  
Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that distracted driving contributes to about nine deaths and more than 1,000 injuries on U.S. roadways each day. OSHA and the National Safety Council cite motor vehicle-related crashes as the No. 1 cause of on-the-job death, with distraction among the leading factors.
Cellphone-distracted driving takes a motorist’s eyes, hands and mind away from the road and wheel, which increases potential dangers to the driver, passengers, other motorists and pedestrians.
Karen Spring, road transportation safety manager for Shell Oil Co., frequently hears arguments equating hands-free use to driving with a passenger. She offers a rebuttal: “A passenger in a vehicle can react to what’s on the road in front of them. So, if they’re talking to the driver and distracting the driver, they can inform them of that hazard. Whereas if you’re talking on the phone, it’s only the driver who can see the hazard.” Shell Oil Co. implemented a workplace cellphone policy in 2009 and has experienced a significant decline in employee road fatalities, including zero fatalities in 2015.
For NSC, NETS and many other organizations, the issue requires no debate – mobile phone use when driving, even hands-free technology, should be avoided. If a worker must make an urgent call, he or she should park in a safe place before talking or texting. “Hands-free use, it’s cognitively distracting to the driver,” McKillips said. “The research says so.” Bottom line, be safe while you're driving. Phones down, eyes on the road!

Download the National Safety Council cellphone policy kit.

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