In today’s blog let's focus on the consequences of distracted driving and what can be done to overcome this. We all know distracted driving is terrible. We can all agree on this. But we continue to do this because there's always something important. Oh, my boss just texted! Where are my kids? Did I send out that important mail? 

‍

Consequences of Distracted Driving

Smartphones keep beeping with notifications every 5 minutes due to the advanced technology and its accessibility these days. So it's only natural to want to look at the notification as soon as your phone beeps. Based on a survey by the AAA Foundation, it has been found that 84.4 percent of drivers say that texting or emailing while driving is unacceptable. However, over 36.1 percent agreed that they read or email while driving in a 30-day survey. But tragedy happens in just a split second. So just that microsecond where you look away from the road can alter your entire life's course.

This situation got very real for the popular motivational and driving awareness safety speaker Shelley Forney when her daughter was struck head-on by a distracted driver just around her house and died after suffering a severe brain injury. This tragic accident could have been easily prevented if only the driver were not distracted. Even Oprah Winfrey mentions this in her talk about the dangers of texting while driving.  

According to WHO statistics, road traffic crashes kill roughly 1.3 million people each year and injure 50 million more. And according to the statistics by NCRB, in 2019, a total of 4,37,396 road accident cases were reported in India alone, resulting in 1,54,732 deaths and 4,39,262 injuries. The number of people killed in car accidents is exponential, climbing by 1.3 percent from 1,52,780 in 2018 to 1,54,732 in 2019. These fatalities and injuries forever change families and communities, which cruelly and irreversibly transform people's lives. In addition to the enormous emotional toll these injuries take, they also result in significant financial losses for the victims, their families, and nations.

‍

What is Distracted Driving?

Distracted driving not only refers to texting or checking emails while driving. It basically means any activity that distracts the driver's attention from the road while driving, including talking, eating, drinking, and fiddling with the navigation system or stereo. Distracted driving, whether taking your eyes off the road or taking your hands off the wheel, raises your chance of automobile accidents, serious injuries, and even death.

‍

April: Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Even though driving safety is crucial any day or month, NSC urges everyone to take an extra step this month to focus on the importance of Distracted Driving. For example, you may be putting off working on a better Driving Safety program for your field force, or you may be unaware of the actual toll distracted driving could be taking on your business as well as employees due to a lack of a system that can bring the driver's activities to you with the help of AI-based technology. No matter the case, we urge everyone to start taking active and practical actions toward ensuring driving safety this month.

‍

What's the solution?

The aspect of safeguarding the lives of the field force or on the road is not prioritized when giant corporations ramp up their sales and support staff. Yet, in developing countries, accidents are destined to happen where roads are dangerous and poor habits like over-speeding and violent accelerations are part of a driver's daily routine.

The following are some of the steps that enterprises can take to reduce or eliminate these severe issues:

• Employee Training:

Continuous training can improve the field force's safety and reduce road traffic accidents by 70%.

• Adoption of Latest Technology:

While most safety directors of significant corporations place a high value on classroom training to help employees understand safety, it's tough to keep track of the impact of the advice given. We can help you create a risk profile for each employee by monitoring elements like rapid acceleration, over-speeding, and hard cornering using IoT sensors installed in their commute vehicles. Not only can data assist safety officers, but it can also assist employees in reflecting on their driving behaviors.

• Gamification of Drivers

Employees become a part of the organization's Safety Transformation by using a gamified mobile application. In addition, the app can include elements such as leaderboards and badges that are part of the company's Reward & Recognition program, allowing employees to comply joyfully.

• VMC (Vehicle Management Center):

The Vehicle Management Centre (VMC) will facilitate getting a bird's eye perspective of the safety statistics. The VMC administrator can contact the employee to counsel them and eventually bring about a behavioral change if any irregularities are discovered. It is a critical step that every company with a significant field force should take to get closer to their objective of "Zero Harm" and build a strong safety culture.

‍

How can SafetyConnect help surpass this ordeal?

We have a simple solution for this grim situation. Our solution is uniquely designed to benefit enterprises with a large field force. We have a driving safety app that can easily track the driver's driving behavior and give real-time feedback using advanced AI technology that can help reduce any unnecessary incidents. Our driving safety mobile app analyses driving insight and trains employees to drive better using gamification. Whether it's a visual, manual, auditory, or cognitive distraction, we've got you covered.

‍