MOBILE WORKS & FLEET SOLUTIONS
MOBILE PHONES KILL
Can it ever be a matter of life or death to take a call or send a message while driving?
Asks Adrian Hide, of the TTC Group, who run a variety of courses across the UK on behalf of 11 police forces to reduce road casualties.
Mobile phones kill – if that message was emblazoned on the side of our handsets similar to a packet of cigarettes, would we pay more attention? Or would we continue to chance it and take that call, send a text, or stream music while driving?
A lorry driver is languishing in jail with a ten-year sentence after killing a family of four while scrolling through music on his mobile. He took his eyes off the motorway for up to 45 seconds and smashed his lorry into their stationary car killing the mum and her three children.
“TAKING A CALL,
EVEN A HANDS FREE ONE, DISTRACTS OUR ATTENTION AWAY
FROM THE DRIVING TASK.”
As the number of tragedies increase, drivers continue to ignore the warnings – and many are normal law abiding citizens driving to and from work, or travelling on work- related tasks.
A road safety organization, which educates motorists caught using a mobile at the wheel, is calling for people to “see sense” and for employers in particular to get the message over to their staff in a hard- hitting way.
“We may have fast-paced technology where information is immediate but just step back a minute. Does it really matter that a call is delayed or a message unsent? Is it that crucial
38 | TOMORROW’S FM
to check Facebook or look for your favourite music track?”
Drivers who text, call or use their mobile phone while driving are four times more likely to crash, injure or kill themselves or others. They are much less aware of what's happening on the road around them, reactions become slower and they take longer to brake and stop.
“People don’t see road signs, they tailgate the car in front, their lane position is out and they don’t keep to a steady speed,” said Adrian, who educates companies about managing the road safety risk for fleet drivers and the grey fleet.
When a vehicle is used for work purposes and regardless of who owns the vehicle, the employer or the employee, it becomes their workplace and therefore employers have a duty of care to ensure a safe working environment.
For companies who operate Grey Fleets this can be a real challenge, especially when setting ground rules for safe vehicle use.
A priority for companies should be to have a good safe driving policy in place, which firmly tells drivers exactly what the mobile phone policy is. No if’s and buts, doubts or “grey areas” – a mandate that drivers do not use a mobile phone, even if hands-free, while driving.
Companies must also review their own internal practices in the office and make all staff aware that if they make or receive a call and they believe the other person is driving,
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