Distracted Driving:
A Leader’ s Guide to Effectively Managing Electronic Device Policies and Mitigating Associated Risks in Transportation
By Brian Dickson
Reflecting on my career as a leader in the ground transportation industry, one of the most challenging aspects of managing risk has been addressing the growing prevalence of electronic devices. What began with cell phone usage has now expanded to include AirPods and other Bluetooth-connected headphones, as well as smartwatches, some of which are nearly the size of smartphones. Regardless of the device, the central issue remains the distractions they cause, particularly for individuals performing safety-sensitive job functions, such as operating a commercial vehicle. From a commercial driver’ s perspective, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration( FMCSA) has prohibited texting while driving since 2010 and has limited the use of handheld phones since 2012. An FMCSA fact sheet indicated that“ the odds of a CDL driver being involved in a safety-critical event are six times greater” for those who interact with their phones while driving. It also highlighted that“ drivers who take their eyes off the road for an average of 3.8 seconds while traveling at 55 mph will cover more than 300 feet without looking ahead,” which is the length of a football field— quite alarming!( 2012) While I couldn’ t find specific statistics for commercial drivers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration( NHTSA) reported that over 3,300 Americans died due to distracted driving in 2022. This is the equivalent to the capacity of nearly 60 motorcoaches annually and averages nine people daily. These figures include any distraction that takes a driver’ s attention from the road— such as talking or texting on the phone, eating and drinking, conversing with passengers, or fiddling with the stereo— with texting being the most pervasive.( 2023) Despite these alarming statistics, the problem persists. In my most recent role, I was involved in several employee separations due to violations of the company’ s electronic device policy, including a few repeat offenders. While at Coach America and Disney, I received numerous complaints from employees who were terminated for such violations. Each time, I listened to both the employee’ s side of the story and the investigating manager’ s account, reviewed the policy, and more often than not— more than nine times out of ten— I upheld the decision to terminate their employment. I reasoned that individuals who willfully disregarded known policies posed too significant a risk to themselves and their fellow employees, the company’ s passengers, guests, clients, and ultimately, the company itself. Thus, reinstating them did not seem prudent. The organizations I have worked with managed this issue differently. My time at Coach America largely predated Bluetooth devices and smartphones; cell phone use and texting while driving were the primary concerns. Our approach involved reviewing and having employees acknowledge the policy during training, with any violation while performing a safety-sensitive job function resulting in termination. Our drivers were unionized, so there was a grievance process; however, the separation would stand unless extreme extenuating circumstances accompanied the violation. During my time at Disney, the policy regarding cell phones was expanded to include all electronic devices, not just cell phones. Why was this change made? I recall an incident where a parking hostess was terminated for wearing AirPods while directing traffic. She was listening to music, which inhibited her ability to hear oncoming vehicles. In another case, a parking employee was let go for conversing on their smartwatch while performing the same duty. Our approach
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