Cell Phones and Driving a Dangerous Mix
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As a member of the Coalition for Cellphone-Free Driving, formed in 2005 by University of Alberta graduate students and led by the U of A's renowned trauma surgeon Dr. Louis Francescutti, Enform is leading by example with a policy that prohibits employee use of cellular phones for business purposes while driving.
The policy states that calls received while an employee is driving must be directed to voicemail or to a passenger. To make a call – even an emergency 911 call – the vehicle must be legally parked in a safe location.
The reason? While there is much debate over the nature and degree of hazard, experts agree that cell phone use is distracting and therefore hazardous. First, the driver is forced to shift focus from the road to the phone to answer or dial a call. Second, the driver focuses attention to the conversation itself, reducing his or her awareness of traffic and pedestrians and resulting an 'impaired' ability to react and respond.
Enform considers driving and talking by phone to be two distinctly separate activities and the message here is simple: a driver who is not aware of their surroundings and focused on the task of driving is a hazard to others on the road.
As a leader in safety in the petroleum industry, Enform's implementation of this policy demonstrates a commitment to employees, to injury-free workplaces (vehicles are considered a workplace) and to public safety.
For more information on driving and cell phone use, visit:
www.enform.ca/driving or www.cellphonefreedriving.com
