Drive Focused, Drive Smart, and Get Home Safely

SMYRNA, Ga., Sept. 10, 2009; Recognizing that safe and smart driving is important for its employees and the entire community, the Georgia Motor Trucking Foundation is joining other leading organizations across the nation to conduct a series of educational activities during Drive Safely Work Week, Oct. 5, 2009-9.

"Whether employees are driving as a function of their job, or just commuting to and from work, the time they spend behind the wheel can be the most dangerous part of their day," said Ed Crowell, President of GMTF. In fact, every 10 seconds there is a traffic-related injury, and every 12 minutes someone dies in a roadway crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The theme for this year's Drive Safely Work Week is "Drive Focused -- Drive Smart -- Get Home Safely." The program, sponsored by the non-profit Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), communicates a variety of safe-driving practices, with the focus being on the danger of distracted driving. In recognition of the broader impact driving can have on society, the campaign this year will also provide employees with information on "green" driving -- driving smart to reduce the impact of driving habits on the environment.

Federal Government studies have found that distracted driving is the number one cause of vehicle crashes, accounting for 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes. Work-related traffic crashes continue to be the number one cause of work-place fatalities, with more than 1300 fatalities in 2007 or nearly four every day, according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

"We recognize that we have a responsibility to make a positive contribution by making our community a safer and more eco-friendly place to live and work," said Crowell. "We want our employees to be productive, but we are emphasizing that when they are driving, safety must be their overriding priority."

The campaign is built around a series of daily messages, delivered to employees through a variety of methods, including voicemail, email, company newsletters and Intranets. Daily activities are also used to actively involve employees and increase awareness.

As part of the campaign, employees are encouraged to change their voicemail messages on their mobile phones to indicate they are either away from their phone or driving and will return the call as soon as they are safely able to do so. It's a simple, effective message that allows the driver to say, "While I'm driving, I need to focus on that task."

Facts and tips related to distracted driving are delivered through the campaign and are designed to hit home with employees, encouraging them to drive safely so they get home safely every day. The campaign's messages remind them that most likely, someone special is waiting for them at the end of the day.

  Examples of the messages being communicated include:

  --  Crashes that are the result of inattentive behavior are predictable,
      preventable and within the driver's control.  They are not accidents.
  --  When you're behind the wheel, you're coordinating the actions of your
      hands, feet, eyes, ears, and body movements while deciding how to
      react to what you see, hear, and feel in relation to other vehicles on
      the road with you.  Adding non-driving tasks to the already demanding
      task of driving is never a good idea.

  --  Remember they'll do what you do.  Even if the kids are far from the
      driving age, demonstrate now the behavior you'll expect later from
      them.  Set the right example concerning the use of mobile phones and
      texting while driving and always be mindful of your precious cargo.

Founded in 1994, the Georgia Motor Trucking Foundation is a 501 c 3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to highway safety education throughout the state. It is maintained in large part by the donations of trucking companies and other safety conscious groups or individuals. The Foundation sponsors a wide variety of safety presentations and educational events throughout the year. For more information on Drive Safely Work Week, contact GMTF at www.gmta.org.

Founded in 1989, the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) is an employer-led public-private partnership dedicated to improving the safety and health of employees, their families, and members of the communities in which they live and work, by preventing traffic crashes that occur both on and off the job. The only nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to traffic safety in the workplace, NETS provides organizations of all sizes and industry-types with guidance in developing or improving their driver safety programs. For more information on NETS, visit www.trafficsafety.org.