{"id":2995,"date":"2020-10-01T19:50:12","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T19:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cantruck.ca\/distracted-driving-workplace-safety-policies-a-business-case-for-employers\/"},"modified":"2025-01-10T16:44:38","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T16:44:38","slug":"distracted-driving-workplace-safety-policies-a-business-case-for-employers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cantruck.ca\/fr\/distracted-driving-workplace-safety-policies-a-business-case-for-employers\/","title":{"rendered":"Distracted Driving & Workplace Safety Policies: A Business Case for Employers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF)\u00a0released a new\u00a0report,\u00a0Distracted Driving &\u00a0Workplace Safety Policies: A Business Case for Employers,\u00a0<\/em>from its Canadian Coalition on Distracted Driving.<\/p>\n

The report was developed in consultation with\u00a0the trucking industry, the insurance industry and workplace health and safety representatives and underscores the importance of distracted driving policies in the workplace to protect employees.<\/p>\n

Preventing\u00a0distraction-related\u00a0crashes\u00a0on the road and in the workplace\u00a0remains a\u00a0priority for\u00a0Canadian\u00a0employers.\u00a0The challenges of the past few months necessitated major adjustments to a new normal\u00a0as businesses focused\u00a0its\u00a0attention on\u00a0the COVID-19 pandemic\u00a0and establishing new health and safety measures.\u00a0With traffic volumes returning to normal, the safety of essential workers and others who rely on our roads remains paramount.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to the immeasurable costs for communities and families who experience death and serious injuries due to distracted driving, these collisions have significant costs and consequences for employers,\u201d explains Robyn Robertson, President & CEO, Traffic Injury Research Foundation.\u00a0\u201cIn several Canadian jurisdictions, motor vehicle collisions account for almost 1\/3 of persons killed in traumatic workplace incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) in 2017, the average number of days lost for transportation employees injured within one month of a workplace incident was nine days. Not only are businesses adversely affected by resulting economic losses\u00a0due to employee absenteeism (due to injuries)\u00a0and the replacement of skilled workers, but they also incur significant costs to repair or replace\u00a0damaged equipment, or\u00a0goods\u00a0that are destroyed.\u00a0Costs\u00a0can be\u00a0exponential\u00a0and\u00a0not limited to the time of the\u00a0crash\u00a0event.\u00a0Employers can expect to incur costs over a period of months, if not years,\u00a0which\u00a0can impact all areas of their business, and smaller companies have the most to lose.<\/p>\n

Diverse expertise was gathered from members of TIRF\u2019s Canadian Coalition on Distracted Driving (CCDD) and a broad range of stakeholders who attended the third and fourth\u00a0Annual Meetings. TIRF also worked closely with the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC), and the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (ISHA) to refine the business case with a focus on the transportation industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trucking industry in\u00a0Canada is committed to eliminating\u00a0distraction by\u00a0working proactively on a number of fronts.\u00a0Efforts identified in TIRF\u2019s business case and used by Canadian Trucking Alliance members provide real-world examples of proactive steps taken by our industry,\u201d says\u00a0Geoff Wood, Senior VP, Policy, Canadian Trucking Alliance. \u201cWe continue to work cooperatively with governments and share innovative approaches to address distracted driving as part of our 10-point safety plan which also promotes the importance of driver training.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the past 20 years, a consistent decline in injuries and claims has been achieved in the transportation industry due to commitment among employers to higher safety standards. In fact, the number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes generally declined between 2000 and 2015. While it fluctuated between 309 and 523 between 2000 and 2015 in Canada, more recently the number of large trucks in fatal crashes rose to 389 in 2017 (Transport Canada 2019).<\/p>\n

Employers in this industry also recognize their critical role in prioritizing strategies to prevent\u00a0distracted driving among their employees and protect them from other distracted drivers on the road to ensure declines continue.<\/p>\n

Key findings from the report include:<\/p>\n