April has been designated as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, to place focus on ways to change behavior through legislation, enforcement, public awareness, and education. This is a good time to review Company driver training and practices/policies related to distracted driving.

Distracted Driving Statistics:

• NHTSA reports that in 2021, distracted driving killed 3,522 people (up from 3,142 in 2020).
• An FMCSA study shows that CMV drivers texting while driving are 23.2 times more likely to be involved in an accident that those not driving distracted.
• ATRI’s 2022 Crash Study found that drivers with a conviction for reckless or inattentive driving have a 62% greater chance of a DOT accident.

What is Distracted Driving?

Distracted driving is driving while engaging in any activity that diverts your full attention from the task of driving, including:

• Visual distraction – doing something that requires the driver to look away from the roadway, such as:
  • Watching another device, such as a tablet or computer,
  • Looking at paperwork,
  • Looking at directions;
• Manual distraction – doing something that requires the driver to take hands off of the steering wheel, such as:
  • Eating and drinking,
  • Adjusting the stereo or navigation system;
• Mental distraction – thinking about something other than driving, such as:
  • Daydreaming or thinking about things other than driving,
  • Engaging in involved discussions with other people in your vehicle;
  • Talking or texting on your phone involves all three of these distractions.

Training Frequency:

1. What training is provided?
2. How often is refresher training offered?
3. Is training assigned after an event?

Helpful Training Items Focused on Distracted Driving Month:

Link to FMCSA driver materials on distracted driving –

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ourroads/distracted-driving-toolkit-documents

Link to FMCSA driver visor card on distracted driving –

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ourroads/cmv-driver-toolkit

How Do You Monitor, Coach, and Hold Drivers Accountable for Distracted Driving?

• Inward-facing cameras:
  • How are events handled?
  • Are the drivers allowed to “self-coach” before an event is triggered?
  • What is the coaching process?
  • What policies/progressive discipline are in place for these types of events when self-coaching doesn’t work?
• Other telematics:
  • Are instances of hard-braking, lane departure, following too close, etc., reviewed for evidence of distracted driving?
  • What is the coaching/discipline process?
• Hand-held cell phones:
  • For CMV drivers, these are banned, and can result in tickets/violations/fines, and CSA points to both the driver and the Motor Carrier.
  • What are the consequences for these types of events?
• Hands-free cell phones:
  • Are drivers allowed by company policy to use hands-free devices?
  • While allowed by DOT, we all know that hands-free is not minds-free.
  • Are drivers instructed to keep discussions to a minimum, and to pull over to a safe place before engaging in an emotional conversation?
• Calls from dispatch:
  • Are dispatchers/managers respectful of drivers on the road and do they refrain from calling while the driver is engaged in driving activities?
• Eating/drinking:
  • Are drivers given adequate break time, so they are not trying to eat while driving?
• Team driving:
  • Are passengers of teams required to stay alert and on the lookout for hazards?

Other Resources:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA):

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/driver-safety/distracted-driving

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

https://www.nhtsa.gov/april-distracted-driving-awareness-month#:~:text=Drive%20Responsibly,Need%20to%20send%20a%20text%3F

National Safety Council (NSC):

https://www.nsc.org/road/distracted-driving-awareness-month

American Trucking Research Institute (ATRI):

https://truckingresearch.org/atri-research/safety-2/