Does your business have a distracted driving policy?

Distracted driving isn’t just dangerous – it’s also costly. In fact, crashes involving distracted driving cost employers $ 75,176  per non-fatal accident and as much as $72.2 billion per year. Read on to learn four steps for creating a culture of safety that helps prevent distracted driving.

Ban mobile devices. Prohibit the use of any mobile devices—personal or company owned—while driving. This includes phone calls and texting.

Don’t forget other distractions. Remember to also ban other distracting activities, such as reading, grooming, and eating.

Reduce temptations. Ask managers and employees to actively avoid calling or texting coworkers during times they’re normally driving. Policy should be to let incoming calls go to voicemail whenever driving.

Train—and retrain. Require all employees to attend training/retraining programs on distracted driving causes and consequences. Make sure these get scheduled throughout the year and whenever new team members join.

Communicate annually. Launch an annual communication campaign to consistently reinforce the policy.

Gather feedback. Consider an online forum where employees can share and review ideas and best practices for preventing distracted driving.

Reinforce positive behavior. Reward and publicly recognize employees you’ve witnessed adhering to—or reminding others of—these policies.

Properly maintain vehicles. Provide scheduled maintenance to reduce the risk of mechanical problems that might distract or endanger—such as malfunctioning blinkers, windshield wipers, or dashboard lights.

Offer storage. Offer in-vehicle storage for work-related equipment or personal items that might spill or roll underfoot while driving.

Build in communication and mealtimes. Employees feel pressured to perform by eating on the road or responding to manager calls. Supervisors must champion safety, building in time for drivers to eat meals and return calls or texts.

Monitor for compliance. Monitor circumstances that might lead employees to disobey or ignore policy rules (e.g., managers or staff regularly calling employees who are driving).

Stay consistent. Follow through on consequences and/or penalties for drivers who do not comply with the policy.

Review the policy. Assign a key person or team to regularly review and update the policy as new circumstances or practices arise.

Distracted driving plays a major role in vehicular accidents each year, but it’s not the only factor that is driving up costs. To learn why commercial auto losses are on the rise, read our related article on commercial auto insurance trends.