Mobile phone policies leave fleets exposed
While there are no official statistics linking the use of mobile phones to the 150 road deaths or serious injuries each week involving at-work drivers in the UK, a study in America has found that almost one in five road deaths caused by distracted drivers entailed mobile phone use.
Accident investigators are more alert to the use of mobile phones: in the event of a serious accident they will check phone records as a matter of course. If the driver was on the phone – or at some point prior to the accident – both they and their company will be held liable.
Among the first questions asked will be: does the company have a policy on the use of mobile phones while driving and what does it do to enforce it?
In a Fleet News poll, 55.6% of respondents admitted they allowed staff to use hands-free mobile phones for both incoming and outgoing calls with a further 8.3% allowing incoming calls only. All could be implicated in the event of a serious accident involving one of their drivers talking on the phone.
Just over a third (36.1%) said all mobile phone use was banned.
Risks are caused mainly by the mental distraction and divided attention from taking part in a conversation while driving.
Department for Transport research suggests that reaction times could be 30% worse than when driving under the influence of alcohol.
Meanwhile reaction times for drivers using a phone – talking or texting – are believed to be around 50% slower than normal driving.
It is against this background that organisations such as diversified technology company 3M and leading fuel and fleet management company Arval have banned employees’ use of mobile phones when driving.
Both are ‘Business Champions’ under Roadsafe’s Driving for Better Business campaign.
At Arval, the ban extends to business and personal mobile phones and applies to any employee using a car for business. It affects 500 employees.
Tracey Scarr, Arval fleet and road safety manager, said: “When the law changed, we immediately made the proactive decision to also ban the use of hands-free. The motivation was to reduce road risk and support driver safety.
An easy business decision
She added: “Our belief is that no business activity should take priority over a company’s duty of care towards its employees, which is why a complete mobile ban was an easy business decision.”
The company says that its established ‘safety-first’ approach aligned to business demands was appreciated by staff.
Arval continues to ensure staff compliance through in-house training, internal communications channels and random spot checks, calling drivers on their mobile to ensure compliance. Non-compliance results in disciplinary action.
Not all Business Champions take such a strict approach. Chelmsford Electrical’s policy advises its 40-50 employees with mobile phones for work purposes against their use when driving.
Company secretary Peter Locke said: “My own policy is not to answer the phone if it rings while I’m driving. I will have the phone switched on and then return the call when it is safe to do so having pulled into a lay-by or reached my destination.”
He added: “We expect our drivers to follow that policy. We have not banned mobile phone use because the nature of our business demands that engineers are contactable as appointments and work schedules change.”
To ban or not to ban?
The importance of being in contact with their customers, and colleagues is touted as the reason against a complete mobile phone ban.
One Fleet News poll respondent said: “Our people need to be reachable at all times and it can make good use of time spent queuing on the M25.”
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents admits that there are ‘good business reasons’ to have a mobile phone in vehicles and also ‘good health and safety reasons’ for lone workers.
But, safety experts say that having a mobile phone in a vehicle does not mean staff should use it while driving.
How the law affects you
Driving while using a hand-held mobile phone has been illegal since December, 2003. Anyone caught can expect an automatic fixed penalty notice and three penalty points on a driving licence and a £60 fine.
In a bid to further improve road safety, the Government’s recently published ‘Strategic Framework for Road Safety’ reveals that in 2012 fixed penalty fines for offences, including mobile phone use, will rise to between £80 and £100.
If the case reaches the courts then drivers, if found guilty, could be banned from driving on top of a maximum £1,000 fine (£2,500 if driving a bus or HGV).
While it is not illegal to use a hands-free phone while driving, drivers could be charged with ‘failing to have proper control of their vehicle’ in the event of an accident.
In more serious cases, the use of any type of mobile phone could result in prosecution for careless or dangerous driving. The penalties on conviction can range from fines to imprisonment.
Additionally, police officers may check phone records when investigating fatal and serious crashes to determine if phone use was a contributory factor.
It is an offence to ‘cause or permit’ a person to use a hand-held mobile phone while driving. So, employers who require staff to use a mobile phone while driving for work could also be prosecuted if an investigation determined that its use contributed to a crash.
Actions to stop the use of phones
Fleets have myriad options to tackle mobile phone use while driving. Depending on your desire to eradicate it, some or all of the following can be used:
Fleet policy states that drivers must not use their mobile phone while driving
Staff must sign a declaration to say they will not use their phone while driving
Match driving records to phone calls to identify culprits
Remove Bluetooth option from company vehicles
Install software apps that prevent the phone from ringing when the car is moving
Behavioural training to educate them about risks
Spot-check by calling staff while driving – if they answer it’s a disciplinary matter
Install cab cameras to monitor drivers
Set up company phone to lock down when car is moving
Author
Fleet News
