During National Safety Month, we’re highlighting a range of today’s most important safety issues. Last week, we wrote about the importance of establishing a culture of safety and promoting engagement from the executive suite to the manufacturing floor. This week, we’re covering a topic that affects the vast majority of workers, regardless of their industry: road safety.
Though this may seem like an issue that chiefly impacts transportation workers, the reality is that road safety is a key topic for workers of all types. Even workers outside the transportation field must commute to work, and for most workers in the United States, that means driving.
Road Safety by the Numbers
According to data from 2021 (the most recent year for which complete road safety data is available), nearly 43,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the United States in that year (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety data). Globally, that number reaches 1.9 million per year, with road injuries being the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5- 29. The risk extends beyond people in cars and trucks; more than half of those deaths were among pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. Estimates from the World Health Organization indicate that nearly 50 million people suffer non-fatal traffic-related injuries per year. In the U.S., fatality rates per 100,000 people were highest in Mississippi at 26.2, while South Carolina led the nation in deaths per 100 million miles traveled at 2.08.
The loss of life and risk of serious injury on the road is substantial; beyond the devastating personal consequences for victims and their families, the WHO also estimates that countries spend an average of 3% of their annual GDP on road accidents.
Sources of Risk on the Road
In a recent episode of the DORN Safety Minute, our host Cheryl Roy explored some of the leading risk factors in road accidents and injuries. Explaining that some 3,000 people in the United States lose their lives as a result of distracted driving alone, Cheryl also described the leading causes of distracted driving:
- Multi-tasking: Defined as “non-driving activity while operating a vehicle,” multi-tasking is the top cause of distracted driving.
- Visual distraction: Looking away from the road to focus on something else
- Manual: Using your hands for something other than steering the vehicle
- Cognitive: Focusing your attention on something other than driving
Staying Safe: Tips for Avoiding Distracted Driving
Cheryl also provided some advice to help drivers avoid distraction and stay safe on the road.
- Prepare the car before you drive: Set your AC, seat position, mirrors, and audio control before you start driving.
- Review your route before you hit the road.
- Secure any pets in the car so that they don’t cause distractions while you’re driving.
- Manage your time: Leave early enough for your destination that you won’t be stressed
- about being late, which can cause you to become distracted or drive faster than is safe.
- Prep at home: Any personal grooming should be done before you start driving.
- Eat any food while parked.
- If you notice fatigue or lack of focus on long drives, pull over and take a rest.
- Finally, the big one: put your phone away. Cell phone use was involved in at least 12% of car accidents in 2020, according to the National Traffic Safety Administration.
Watch Cheryl’s Safety Minute video for more tips, and check back next week for the next installment in our National Safety Month blog series.
