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Volume 1 Issue 4 |
Fall 2000 |
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Information to help keep your employees safe on the road
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Drive Safely Work Week
September 11-15, 2000
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You haven't missed it! The 2000 Drive Safely Work Week is coming up fast.
Driving on the Job: Tips for Workers and Employers
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that about three drivers are killed
each day from traffic-related motor vehicle crashes. In Minnesota, the leading cause of work-related deaths is
transportation incidents, causing 43 percent of worker deaths during the five year period from 1994-1998 (latest
statistics available). NIOSH offers the following tips for workers who drive and for their employers:
If driving is part of your job, take the following steps:
- Use seat belts at all times. Let other workers ride with you only when the vehicle has a seat belt for each person.
- Always drive within the speed limit.
- Do not drive if you are fatigued
- Be familiar with the maintenance procedures for all vehicle systems.
If you employ motor vehicle operators, take the following steps:
- Conduct driver's license background checks before hiring drivers.
- Provide vehicles with seat belts for the driver and every passenger, and require their use
- Establish schedules that allow drivers enough time to obey speed limits and that limit drivers' hours
of service according to regulations.
- Train drivers in safe driving practices and the proper use of vehicle safety features.
- Establish procedures to ensure proper maintenance of all vehicle systems.
- Make sure that newly purchased vehicles are equipped with appropriate occupant protection and other safety
features.
- Adopt the U.S. Department of Transportation regulations for commercial motor carriers as part of your motor
vehicle safety program.
If you work or employ workers who work in construction or maintenance zones, take the following steps:
- Wear or require workers to wear high-visibility clothing.
- Use or require the use of barriers and traffic control efforts when working on or near public roads.
On the next page you'll find an article about driving while distracted. Feel free to post it or copy it
for distribution to your employees.
The problem
Driving is a risky activity. Each year, more than 40,000 people are killed in motor vehicle crashes
and over 3 million are injured. Research indicates that in more than 50 percent of all crashes, driver
inattention was a contributing factor.
How does distraction affect driving performance? Driver instructors estimate that a driver makes 200
decisions for every mile of driving. If you are mentally solving business or family problems while driving,
you are adding to the total cognitive workload. If you take your eyes off the road for three to four seconds,
at 55 mph the car travels the length of a football field. Other factors, such as fatigue, weather and traffic
conditions, can increase the negative impact of distractions on driving ability.
The clues
How do you know when you are distracted? Well, how many of these things have happened to you?
- A passenger in your car screamed or gasped because of something you did or did not do?
- You ran a stop sign or stop light unintentionally?
- You swerved suddenly to avoid an animal, a car or another highway hazard?
- You slammed on your brakes because you didn't see the car in front of you stop?
- You didn't remember driving from one place to another?
- You drifted in your lane or into another lane of traffic?
These events are clues or signals that you are distracted while driving. Next time you decide to read a road
map or a work report, referee an argument or even engage in an intense conversation on a cell phone or with
occupants in the car, ask yourself... who's driving?
The solution
Suggestions for helping you manage distractions safely:
- If the newspaper, business report or day planner is too great a temptation, stick them in the trunk of the
car until you arrive at your destination.
- Secure everyone and everything that could be a distraction.
- Don't wait until you are driving to plan your route or attend to grooming. Plan before you go. Leave a little
earlier; it will get you there less stressed and more safely.
- Pre-set the climate control, radio, CD player and identify the location of signals, wipers and lights in the
vehicle.
- Postpone complex or emotional conversations on the phone or with passengers until you arrive at your
destination.
- If a passenger is distracting you, pull over where it is safe and legal to do so. Don't start driving
until the situation is under control.
- When you are hungry or thirsty take a break.
The next time you catch yourself slamming on the brakes to avoid hitting someone—you know what to do. Recognize
that you may be driving distracted. Use some common sense and help keep our roads safer for everyone.
Source: NETS
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