Safe Driving Solutions for Business

"One of the greatest challenges to our distracted driving efforts has been enforcement. But looking over the survey results, it seems clear that the safest employers have the steepest penalties and the most vigorous observation policies."  Here is where I have issues with the Distracted Driving bandwagon -- Enforcement and Corporate Involvement.  I am firmly behind the issue but it will be almost impossible to enforce this corporate policy and the corporate "involvement" is pretty simple in saying "we are against someone texting while driving or working on their laptop while driving".  It costs NOTHING but gives a nice WARM FEELING.  How about investing into safety?

Only technology will solve a technology issue.  Want to scare some people from using their laptops while driving...make a policy that sounds scary but is impossible to enforce.  That will keep those "honest" employees that weren't doing it in the first place...from beginning.  The others will realize...that enforcement will be near impossible and do what they are doing now...rolling the dice. 

Technology currently exists to ensure compliance to the policy.  Products currently exist right now...not in R&D stage...to blank the screen of a laptop computer when the vehicle is in motion.  Every time that driver puts the vehicle in "D" - ScreenSafe will prevent a distraction.  Similar products exist for cell phones as well.  Will it cost Corporate America?  Yes it will -- but if they truly believe that Distracted Driving is an issue and that it causes accidents, then they will be putting their money where right now only their mouth exists.

A lot of you were probably exactly like me...enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday, sitting back with a full stomach and enjoying a football game.  When news broke on the early morning accident involving Tiger Woods!  My attention was immediately grasped...the World's Best Golfer...involved in a crash...in the hospital in serious condition.  My memory rushed back to January of 2000, when Derrick Thomas of the Kansas City Chiefs was involved in a crash and died due to the injuries he sustained.  Surely the same wasn't happening!

Luckily, for the golf fans across the world and for Tiger himself...it ended up that the accident was minor and the injuries were nowhere near life threatening.  There has been a good bit of intrigue as to the circumstances surrounding and possible causes of the accident.  Some are quite salacious.

I for one, think the cause could be quite different than what the tabloids would like to suggest.  Distracted Driving -- there I said it.  It is now out in the open!  The Great Eldrick Tiger Woods may very well have been texting while driving or working on his laptop while driving...which caused his distracted driving accident. 

There has been a steady buzz across America for over a year about the dangers of Distracted Driving.  There have been committees formed and the Dept of Transportation (Secretary LaHood) even had a Summit to discuss this epidemic.  Could Tiger have been distracted while driving and is now embarrassed to admit his mistake?

Obviously, I'm posting this in jest but the real facts are that millions of Americans drive around each day either working on a laptop while driving or texting while driving.  In either case, putting life, health and property at risk.  This behavior must stop...but in my opinion, it will never stop until distracted driving solutions are implemented.  ScreenSafe is mobile monitor software that blanks a laptop screen when the vehicle is in motion.  Aegis Mobility and iZUP (eyes up) are similar software solutions that will solve the cell phone distractions.  The solutions exist...it is time that companies step and implement them. 

I'm sure that everyone has one or two people that "always" send them the funny emails.  I have a buddy that routinely sends me emails that cause me to chuckle, laugh and even bellow a good horse laugh followed by a few tears.  So I was a little shocked to get the following email from him...it wasn't a normal type of email to send but the impact was great.  I hope it is for you...because drivers who insist on using their laptop while driving, texting while driving and working while driving are putting everyone at risk. 

The Subject of the email was "Can You See The Motorcycle"



The Text Was...

The Honda crotch rocket rider was traveling at approximately 85 mph.  The VW driver was taling on a cell phone when she pulled out from a side street, apparently not seeing the motorcycle.

The riders reaction time was not sufficient enough to avoid this accident.

The car had two passengers and the rider was found INSIDE the car with them.

The Volkswagen actually flipped over from the force of impact and landed 20 feet from where the collision took place.

All three involved (two in the car and the rider) were killed instantly.

This graphic demonstration was placed at the Motorcycle Fair by the Police & Road Safety Department.  Pass this on to car drivers and soon to be new drivers...and especially everyone you know who has a cell phone!!! 

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Wake up people, stop talking on cell phones, texting while trying to drive and using your laptops!!!

The message is clear -- driving while distracted causes accidents, costs lives and untold millions of dollars and is a selfish act.  Utilize the technology that exists and keep the focus on driving!

I just returned home from sunny Southern California, where I attended a conference.  The host hotel was quite large...approximately 500 rooms.  As I would walk through the parking lot to the room or conference center, I noticed a lot of "non-rental" vehicles.  Beings how Jotto Desk sells mobile laptop stands, I often look inside to see what equipment is being mounted and pass along this to my sales team.

Over those 4 days, I viewed the following vehicles:

1 vehicle from a well known cable company
5 vehicles from a well known railroad
8 vehicles from a well known power company
3 vehicles from a well known construction company
2 vehicles from a local delivery company
6 vehicles from various trucking companies
1 vehicle from a local locksmith company
2 vehicles from a well known glass company

28 Total Vehicles -- All with one commonality.  What was that???  You guessed it -- they all had a mobile laptops stand in their vehicle.  So all of these companies, large and small, viewed the laptop as vital for the person to do their job.  They also realized that the laptop, unmounted, could be a projectile and pose a liability...so they invested the money to mount them.

What they don't know or fail to concern themselves with is the other side of the coin.  That laptop, which they believe is so vital and should be mounted...COULD become a distraction to the driver.  That distraction COULD cause and distracted driving accident and COULD cause unnecessary loss of property or life. 

The solution is available but getting it to them is daunting.  ScreenSafe distracted driving software was designed to blank the laptop screen when the vehicle is in motion.  It is a safe driving system that eliminates the opportunity for bad driving decisions.  If 8 companies in a California parking lot can ALL decide to spend dollars to prevent a laptop from becoming a projectile in an accident...how hard can it be to spend a few dollars to ensure the laptop doesn't distract the driver and the car doesn't become a projectile?

Come on Corporate America...lets make laptop use while driving a problem of the past.

After months of diligent effort and many, many proposals/demonstrations/conversations... someone actually decided to put their money where there mouth was!

"The ScreenSafe distracted driving software is a great idea and it is well thought out" said one Safety Manager.  This positive and hopeful comment was eventually followed by "at this time we're just going to implement a policy for drivers to not use their laptops while driving".  Hold on a second...how did we get from a great product to keep the laptop from causing distrations to the drivers -- to -- nah, we'll just make a policy that has no teeth, cannot be enforced but gives a false sense of security?

Another company, who claimed they've had distracted driving accidents caused by employees working on the laptop while driving...was all gung ho.  Send us info, send us a demo, will it do this or will it do that!?!  They even brought up an idea for an improvement...one that was implemented.  How many did they buy?  None, zero, zippo, zilch, bupkis, nada.  Instead, they decided to ignore the issue and hope it doesn't affect them...anymore, that is.  Right, the plan is to have a deep, meaningful conversation with all 500 drivers to encourage them to not do what they have been doing for years...using their laptop while driving.  That ought to work.

But Martin Co Sheriff's Office out of Williamston, NC contacted Jotto Desk about the ScreenSafe.  Now law enforcement has been largely exempt from the Distracted Driving conversation. After all, they were one of the first to incorporate laptop computers into vehicles and they routinely drive along managing a radio, siren/light controller, laptop, radar and more...so multi-tasking is commonplace for them.  As well, part of their ongoing training is in driving...so it was a bit of a suprise when we received the call.

The great news is that they recognized the issue, discovered a solution to the problem and rather than play the game...they did something about it.  Kudos to the Martin Co Sheriff's Office and they know that their Deputies will be focused on driving when they should be only focused on driving...not interacting with the laptop. 

NOW -- YOU OTHER COMPANIES AND DEPARTMENTS OUT THERE...JUMP ON BOARD THE SOLUTION AND GET OFF THE "POLICY WILL PROTECT US" BANDWAGON.
 

This is my statement to all of the companies out there...companies with a fleet of vehicles on the roadways and employees armed with laptop computers.  Do Something!...Someone, Please Do Something. 

Those laptop computer can be found sitting on the passenger seat, on the console/armrest or preferably mounted to a mobile laptop mount.  Since April, we have been promoting the point that safe driving software is pretty much the only solution to employees driving while distracted.   Yes, education needs to happen and enforcement will be nice...but technology will handcuff the activity.

Granted, many like to point out that the distractions are numerous... they are. Laptops, cell phones, makeup, food, drinks, shaving, billboards, etc top the list.  “The same safety risks posed by cellular phones also hold true for a vehicle operator who drives in an unsafe manner while eating, drinking, putting on makeup, reading a newspaper, operating any other electronic device, or [performing]  some other type of distracting activity where the driver's mind, eyes, and hands are engaged elsewhere than the road ahead and the steering wheel,” American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) stated.

My point, apparently no one company yet gets...is that the technology that is the distraction the majority of the time, can be eliminated with technology.  Safe Driving Software currently exists that will keep the cell phone and the laptop computer from being a distraction to the driver.  If we could make a sandwich inedible while the driver is moving...we would.  If we could make an eyeliner pencil not work over 10 mph...we would.  If we could make children not cry when the vehicle is moving...we would. 

The key is what can be controlled...being controlled.  ScreenSafe and ZoomSafer are both designed to prevent distracted driving.  Easy to implement and easy to operate...both utilize gps to determine movement and prevent the activity that is proven to increase risk.

So, to the companies out there that state their "concerns" over distracted driving, that promote the distracted driving "safety" movement and that have concern for their workers, the American public and liability...to those companies I say "Do Something! Someone, Please Do Something." 

Be first in your market/industry to actually do something other than to rail against the dangers.  Take advantage of technology to eliminate the largest of distractions and the ones that something can be done to eliminate.  Spend $$ today to prevent spending $$$$$$$$$$ tomorrow.