Behind the Wheel at Work

Our Priority: Keeping Workers Safe on the Road

Millions of workers drive or ride in a motor vehicle as part of their jobs. And, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of work-related deaths in U.S. The type of company or job doesn’t matter— the risk is there.

At the CMVS, what are our priorities? We do research and make crash prevention recommendations for:

Driving Safety at Work: Productive Aging and Total Worker Health^®

Many of us get in a car every single day to get to work, school, run our errands, or do our shopping. It’s important to consider how we as workers and employers can keep safe driving in the front of our minds. Although individual drivers will always have a role to play in motor vehicle safety, organizational-level changes in work environments are a more effective and sustainable means for preventing injury and disability than individual behavior changes. Taking a Total Worker Health^® approach to driver safety means supporting policies that keep workers safe on the road while also promoting lifelong worker health and well-being. For the aging workforce, this means establishing organizational-level initiatives which encourage safety, health, and well-being across the working life.

Getting started with these approaches can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Start by learning workers’ needs related to motor vehicle safety— this means incorporating their feedback in developing policies, programs, and practices. Engage workers of all ages in the discussion, keeping in mind that skills may vary throughout people’s working lives, and that driving ability may be affected by declines in vision or hearing or other factors associated with normal aging.

Ask your workers: are there opportunities to improve their working conditions as they relate to driving? Are schedules and shifts impacting driving safety? Are delivery schedules or timelines realistic? Are meal and rest breaks adequate? Be open to suggestions.

Stress and the distractions that come with it can influence driving, too. Flexibility can be a key component to improving worker safety. Offering workers control over how and when work is accomplished can help to manage and alleviate job-related stress.

Managers and supervisors can support and encourage motor vehicle safety by:

• Setting goals together for keeping workers safe while operating motor vehicles.
• Rescheduling or re-routing worker travel if driving conditions become unsafe.
• Giving workers a voice in developing safe driving policies, practices, and training programs.
• Offering training tailored to driving risks faced by workers of all ages.
• Providing workers with general information about the possible side effects of medications and chronic medical conditions on their safe driving.
• Connecting workers with resources to prevent or address chronic conditions that could impact driving. Examples could include: local health fairs; screenings for vision, hearing, or substance abuse challenges; or self-administered sleep and sleep apnea questionnaires.
• Offering telework, flex-time, and other flexible work schedule arrangements. This can assist in not only keeping workers off the road during the most hazardous and stressful times, but also in allowing time for general prevention or management of chronic health conditions.

As workers, first-line supervisors, and managers, we each have a role in making sure that driving during the work day and commuting are planned and carried out safely. By considering your workplace’s unique needs and challenges, you can better plan and manage travel for all workers in your organization— helping to keep workers safe, healthy, and well throughout their working life.

For more information on keeping older drivers in the workplace safe while operating motor vehicles, see the new NIOSH fact sheet, Older Drivers in the Workplace: How Employers and Workers Can Prevent Crashes. To learn more about integrated approaches to worker safety, health, and well-being, visit the NIOSH Total Worker Health^® Program and the National Center for Productive Aging and Work.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Are you taking steps to keep your employees safe before and while driving?

Consider the following recommendations, and visit our Distracted Driving page for more resources.

Ban texting and hand-held phone use, and consider banning hands-free phone use. Using a hands-free device while driving is not necessarily safer. The brain has limited capability to perform two cognitive tasks at once, and driving is the most important task when you’re behind the wheel.

Consider having workers acknowledge that they have read and understand your company’s distracted driving-related policies. Clearly communicate your company’s distracted-driving policy to workers. Include information on how distracted driving puts them at risk of a crash, and explain the consequences of violating the policy.

Provide workers with information to help them talk to their family and friends about the dangers of distracted driving.