Drivers’ use of mobile devices studied

Employers continue to be concerned about the risk and liability posed by employee use of mobile devices while driving on the job

May 17, 2013

Kelly Faloon

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Employers continue to be concerned about the risk and liability posed by employee use of mobile devices while driving on the job, according to a new report from Aegis Mobility. [www.radiantandhydronics.com/articles/86519-survey-finds-employers-concerned-with-use-of-mobile-devices-while-driving]Seven in 10 companies have adopted written policies designed to curb employee-distracted driving, but only 32% are confident current enforcement methods are effective at achieving compliance.

Hands-free and zero-tolerance are the most popular policies, with 45% of existing employer policies prohibiting all use except hands-free, the report states. Another 41% prohibit all use, no exceptions.

Almost a quarter of responding companies plan to evaluate device-based software, device analytics or in-vehicle cameras within the next 12 months to better enforce compliance with distracted driving policies.

Sister publication The News recently published an article of how HVAC contractors are cracking down on their service techs’ bad driving habits. You can read that article here (registration required). [www.achrnews.com/articles/123186-hvac-contractors-crack-down-on-distracted-driving]

If distracted driving is a problem in your company, take steps now to avoid accidents and keep insurance costs down. Many contractors are training their employees on how to eliminate distracted driving habits. Such training will keep drivers in compliance with the many local and state laws prohibiting cell phone use and other distractions while driving.

Kelly Faloon was a former editor of Plumbing & Mechanical as well as the BNP Media Plumbing Group’s Integrated Content Development Specialist. She also was a former editor of the Radiant Comfort Guide the Radiant & Hydronics Report — both official publications of the Radiant Professionals Alliance — and twice-monthly Radiant & Hydronics eNews, an enewsletter for anyone interested in the world of heating with hot water.

Her editorial specialties included women in plumbing, recruiting for the trades, green construction techniques, water conservation, water treatment, hydronic heating, radiant heating and cooling, snow melt, solar thermal and geothermal.

After a 3½-year stint at sister publication Supply House Times, Faloon joined the PM staff in December 2001 as senior editor. She was named PM’s managing editor in 2006 and editor in 2013.

Previously, she spent nearly 10 years at CCH, a publishing firm specializing in business and tax law, where she wore many hats — proofreader, writer/editor for a daily tax publication, and Internal Revenue Code editor.

A native of Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, Faloon is a 1986 journalism graduate of Michigan State University.