Distraction
June 2023
Distraction is a leading a cause of collision. Whether manual, visual or cognitive, a distracted driver is not in full control of their vehicle, nor able to process and adapt to the changing environment around them.
Fleets should educate drivers about the huge risks associated with distraction, and ensure that drivers have safe ways of alleviating boredom while they drive.
Fleets policies should emphasise the ‘no mobiles while mobile’ rule, and ensure that sat navs and workflows are programmed before the journey starts and mobiles are turned off.
Simply put: the human brain doesn’t multi-task. If you are doing something else, you aren’t driving.
What Fleet Managers can do to manage Driver Distraction:
- Establish a ‘no mobiles while mobile’ rule as part of your driving for work policy
- Ensure everyone in your organisation understands that drivers should not be asked to use a mobile while driving
- Educate drivers on the effects that distractions have on their driving perfomance.
Other Driver Distraction Resources
In the news – Driver Distraction
Operation Tramline: Police join forces with National Highways to spot driving offences
Vision Zero, the road safety partnership working to stop all fatal and serious collisions in Devon and Cornwall by 2040, has recently released a video showing what they saw when the Devon & Cornwall Police joined forces with National Highways to spot driving offences.
Tailgaters are the biggest cause of driver distraction
Being followed too closely by other drivers is the behaviour that distracts motorists most on Britain’s roads, new research reveals.