No Texting While Driving

June is National Safety Month, and the National Safety Council (NSC) provides a wealth of information to encourage workplaces to participate in raising awareness for safety. This year’s theme is “Safety Starts with Me,” underscoring responsibility at the individual level.

The NSC organizes the month into weekly themes by topic, and a quick glance at this list made me realize we’ve talked about many of these issues at some point in the AccuBlog.

Week 1: Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls

In March, we discussed Steps to Prevent Slips, Trips and Falls. The most common culprits to avoid are everyday hazards we might easily overlook – like an electrical cord or clutter in the walkways.

Week 2: Employee Wellness

Our WorkHealthy blogger Samantha talks about employee wellness on a regular basis. Her recent post on Summer fruits and vegetables reminds us to eat healthy, while many of her posts also provide practical advice on exercise and health.

Week 3: Emergency Preparedness

Last month, we looked at Tornado Safety tips. Ashley’s earlier post Don’t Let An Emergency Catch You Without A Plan outlines the elements OSHA requires for a workplace’s emergency action plan.

Week 4: Ergonomics

OSHA defines Ergonomics as “the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of the working population.”

Posture is one factor that contributes to proper or poor ergonomics, and Samantha’s two-part series on Take a Stand Against the Sitting Disease offers one possible solution to combat the posture problem in the workplace.

Bonus Topics

The NSC also includes bonus topics in their list of themes. We’ve started discussing these issues as well and will continue to do so in the weeks and months ahead.

• Driving Safety: During the first week of May, we learned how texting and driving is a symptom of a larger problem. We also provided links to resources so you can stay current on the different distracted driving rules by state.
• Summer Safety: Last month, we started talking about summer safety with a blog on Skin Cancer Awareness and what you can do to help reduce your risk.

Next time, we’ll look at some more issues related to summer safety.

About Accuform Signs

Accuform Signs, located in Brooksville, FL, is the leading manufacturer of facility safety identification products. Founded in 1976, Accuform Signs sells products to a network of distributors throughout North America, South America and Asia. From personalized safety signs, safety tags and labels, to traffic safety and lockout/tag out products, Accuform Signs provides the products and sales support for the distributors that define the safety industry.

Last weekend, I ran into an acquaintance who was dressed as a reenactor for the Brooksville Raid. I couldn’t help but smile as she pulled a cell phone out of her dress pocket.

“That doesn’t quite go with the time period,” I remarked.

“Oh, all the reenactors have them hidden somewhere in their costumes,” she replied.

Her comment reminded me just how dependent our culture has become on technology – and not just technology, but instant access to information and really anything we need or want.

Think about it. We drive on expressways. We eat fast food. We have social media for instant updates. We can’t go anywhere without our smartphones.

Warning Signs

Don’t think you’ve fallen for the “instant everything” mindset? Ask yourself these questions:

• How many times do you check Facebook each day?
• Have you ever panicked when you get home and realize you left your cell phone at the office?
• Have you ever risked your safety – and the safety of your passengers – by talking or texting while driving?
• Do you speed? And do you rationalize it?
• Are you annoyed when you get someone’s voicemail instead of an immediate answer?

We have fast cars, become frustrated when the drive-through backs up, and can’t imagine a world without high-speed internet. (We shudder at the memory of dial-up.)

Common Casualties

There is nothing “wrong” with speed/efficiency and technology – but there is a problem when its consequence is an egocentric mentality (“It’s all about me and getting what I want now”). In the name of instant information and continuous improvement, we’ve sacrificed some things that are irreplaceable.

• Patience – It is a dying virtue. We don’t want to wait for anything or anyone.
• Safety – There is nothing remotely safe about texting and driving – and yet how often are we tempted to send a quick text while driving?
• Meaningful communication – As a communicator and writer, I cringe every time someone says, “I don’t really care what the copy says. I just look at the pictures.”
• Life is not about me – It’s really not.

Here at Accuform, our values include putting customers (others) first, promoting safety as a priority, and encouraging family values.

But these priorities shouldn’t be limited to the professional world. They should overflow into our personal lives as well.

What can you do to counterbalance the “instant everything” culture – at work and at home?

This summer, tougher distracted driving laws will go into effect for four states. West Virginia, Idaho, Alabama, and Ohio are all adding new or more robust laws regarding texting and electronic devices bringing the total of states with no texting bans to 39. Educate and notify employees of the dangers of distracted driving and the new laws to enforce no texting while driving.  

WEST VIRGINIA

Takes Effect: July 1, 2012

What’s Banned: Texting while driving is illegal and a primary offense. Cell phone use while driving is a secondary offense (this becomes a primary offense July 1, 2013).

Text of the Law: Senate Bill 211 created new West Virginia Code Section 17C-14-15

 IDAHO

Takes Effect: July 1, 2012

What’s Banned: Texting is now included in the statues regarding reckless driving.

Text of the Law: Senate Bill 1274 amends Idaho Statutes, Chapter 14, Title 14, 1401 (Reckless Driving)

ALABAMA

Takes Effect: August 1, 2012

What’s Banned: Texting while driving is a primary offense.

Text of the Law: House Bill 2 (No official text has been posted to-date)

OHIO

Takes Effect: August 30, 2012

What’s Banned: Texting is a secondary offense for adults. Teens (under 18) are banned from using cell phones, and other personal electronic devices for texting, calls or web browsing. These are a primary offense for teens.

Text of the Law: House Bill 99

Post signs and labels around your facility and in company vehicles to remind employees that it’s illegal to text and drive.

Back in January, I wrote about distracted driving and the need for drivers to be aware that the rules differ from state to state. I’d like to follow up to that post by talking about the discussion that’s been spurred by the call for a nationwide ban on portable electronic devices (PEDs) by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

In December of last year, the NTSB issued a press release calling for a nationwide ban on driver use of any PED. This proposed ban would apply to all drivers – not just federal and commercial employees.

Rules already in place

There are currently rules on the books that prohibit commercial drivers from using hand-held PEDs. The most recent took effect this January when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) implemented a new law banning commercial truck and bus drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving. To learn more about this ban, read the news release announcing the final rule; for more information on the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) regulatory campaign, visit distraction.gov.

Similar policies apply to federal employees. Back in 2009, President Obama signed an Executive Order prohibiting federal employees from texting while driving – and encouraging contractors and other businesses who work with the government to implement similar texting policies.

The key is that these bans only apply to hand-held devices. The NTSB is calling for an end to both hand-held and hands-free cell phone use – for all drivers.

As I talked about in my earlier post, many states have their own distracted driving rules in place, but to date, there’s nothing on a national level. And that’s why the debate is heating up.

Watching the reaction

While most people agree that texting while driving isn’t safe, they don’t agree about whether or not to ban drivers from using PEDs altogether.

The reaction to the NTSB’s call for a cold turkey ban on cell phone use has been interesting to watch. I follow the ANSI/ASSE SH&E Standards Information Center LinkedIn group, and one discussion on Distracted Driving showed the varied responses people have to the proposed ban, ranging from:

• Yes, a nationwide ban on all hand-held and hands-free devices is needed.
• No, best practices and driver education are preferred to mandatory rules.
• No, we shouldn’t tailor “one-size-fits-all” rules to the least competent person.
• Yes, more regulations are good but should exclude hands-free devices.
• No, distracted driving takes many other forms as well – like eating/drinking, grooming, smoking, music, etc.

Motor Trend provides insight into how members of the automobile industry view the proposed ban in a post called NTSB’s Cell Phone Ban Recommendation – Why It’s Unenforceable. Author Edward A. Sanchez makes a case for the use of hands-free devices in cars and the need for the NTSB to work with the electronics and auto industries “to try to find a reasonable middle ground that finds a way to safely and reasonably accommodate technology that has become integral to tens (if not hundreds) of millions of Americans, without resorting to a sweeping, absolute mandate that for all intents would be practically unenforceable.”

Clearly, there’s more debate to come. Take a minute to voice your opinion using the Quipol poll below. I welcome your comments.

One of the greatest things about being a social media specialist as part of the overall marketing team is, well, the opportunity to work with all kinds of mediums each day. Sometimes I get to shoot product photos, sometimes video, other times I’m writing content, and continually posting about my company.

And, as the company "social media guy", people are always sending me stuff to post about, which makes my job way easier. It’s called crowdsourcing, and crowdsourcing is used today by companies like Nissan to get people more personally involved with their brands, and creating a bond (this, in its essence, is what social media for brands is all about). “Send us your story about our product in your life,” or, “Send us a photo of you using our product and we’ll send you some more of our product” - you get the idea.

The very cool thing about social media in the safety industry is that we all take safety very seriously, even though we may try to have as much fun as possible along the way. And at Accuform Signs, when a “digital asset” (text, photo, video, audio) comes along that not only speaks to a serious matter concerning safety, but also speaks to what we do, I get to use it for the benefit of everyone.

Recently, a very poignant video titled "The Most Beautiful Seat Belt Commercial Ever" was sent my direction that I could not pass on. It has to do with - you guessed it - the issue of wearing your seat belt, and some really good reasons why. But it goes hand-in-hand with a recurring theme here at Accuform; a mantra so-to-speak, that we live by – “Safety is a Family Value.”

There’s value in a nicely-executed video, and in social media, there’s even more value when it correlates directly to your industry. But the best of all worlds is when even the message fits perfectly.

We are a family run company, and with 250 employees and counting, we work hard each day, to stay close to one another, and remind each other to stay safe - at work, at home, and on the road.

Here are some examples of seat belt signs you could post at your facility as a reminder for your employees to stay buckled, and we have numerous traffic control devices and other signage available such as, "No Texting While Driving" signs and labels.

So, what are you doing at your facility to convey this serious message?

Take down the tree. Toss the tinsel. It’s a new year, and the holidays are behind us. Many Americans will be heading home after the holidays and over 90% will be driving, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Impatient to get home, most probably won’t consider that distracted driving laws on cell phone and texting use vary from state to state.

Plan Ahead 

While some states have handheld bans only, others have handheld and texting bans. In some states, cell phone and texting bans apply only to “novice drivers” or young drivers.

Some resources that will help you understand your state’s cell phone and texting laws, while also helping you plan for the road trip home, include the following:

• Distraction.gov provides a summary of distracted driving laws by state.
  
• Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) provides a chart outlining state cell phone and texting laws and offers additional resources to learn more about distracted driving.
  
• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) provides a table and state maps for handheld bans, young driver bans, and texting bans.

Enforcement Varies from State to State

The type of enforcement is another variable to consider in understanding distracted driving laws by state.

If handheld cell phone use or texting falls under primary law enforcement, then you could be pulled over and ticketed for just that offense alone. For example, California has a handheld ban with primary enforcement. If you’re caught using a cell phone while driving in this state, an officer can pull you over even if you aren’t breaking any other driving law. That ticket will cost you $159, according to ca.gov.

If cell phone or texting violations are enforced as a secondary law, you won’t be ticketed unless you have first been pulled over for a different driving offense.

Some states, like Montana and Ohio do not have any current bans for distracted driving. Florida is another similar state, operating under preemption law that prevents local jurisdictions from implementing bans on distracted driving. For more information, visit distraction.gov.

Not So Common Sense?

Common sense safety says to avoid cell phone and texting use while driving. Just take a look at the statistics. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), 23% of crashes or an estimated 1.3 million crashes per year can be attributed to talking on cell phones or texting while driving.

However, if you find yourself crossing state lines on your road trip home from the holidays, you may need to remember more than just your common sense – or you could find yourself with a ticket in place of the cell phone in your hand.