Cell Phones and Driving Don’t Mix Well

In this wireless age, companies tend to consider driving time as a business opportunity. So cell phones are just another way to help boost productivity and swell the bottom line.

And even more ways of being mobile and productive are on the way. Major automakers are planning to include virtual offices’ as standard equipment in cars and trucks in the future. The high-tech concept of “telematics” puts in-dash computers and mobile communications technology at drivers’ fingertips.

But beneath the razzle-dazzle and convenience is an expensive potential liability.

Many companies have inserted clauses in their employee handbooks stating that staff members are only allowed to conduct business while using a hands-free cell phone. But that may not be enough.

A study by the National Safety Council shows that hands-free phones are not safer than hand-held devices. The study measured drivers’ responses to activities like changing the radio station and listening to books-on-tape and found that talking on a cell phone is twice as distracting. Phone conversations - particularly about business can be demanding and stressful so your mind just isn’t on the road.

According to another study by the New England Journal of Medicine, a driver having a phone conversation is four times more likely to have an accident.

As a result of the studies, smart companies are prohibiting all cell phone use by their employees while driving - on both hands-free and hand-held devices. They now require staff members to pull over safely to make a call. That’s a start, but there are other steps your company can take to encourage safety and limit liability. Add these factors to your written policy on cell phone use:

Safety tips

• Issue regular bulletins to your entire staff telling them to use common sense when calling someone on a cell phone.
• Place a sticker on company-owned cell phones warning that using the phone while driving is dangerous and should only be done in an emergency.
• Notify all employees that any violation of the company’s cell-phone policy will bring disciplinary action - including termination of employment.
• Be sure all employees sign your policies to indicate they have read and understand them.
• Let your staff know the safety issues and laws involving cell phone use. Some states and countries ban or restrict the use of cell phones while driving.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that cell phone liability doesn’t apply to your business. Another study done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 75 percent of all cell phone users talk on their phones while driving.

Your company may benefit when employees conduct business while they’re in traffic, but you must balance the extra productivity against your potential liability. Safety should speak louder than dollars.