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A new study from The Travelers found that just 18% of companies require employees to set their phones to Do Not Disturb before driving. Photo via Jim Legans Jr<\/a>\/Flickr.<\/p>\n About 12% of executives say they don’t worry about the liability associated with a crash caused by a distracted employee, and 74% don’t consider distracted driving<\/a> to be of great concern, according to a new survey from The Travelers.<\/p>\n Yet, nearly eight in 10\u00a0consumers said they talk on the phone while driving, and more than 30% admit to having been in a near-miss collision because they were distracted.<\/p>\n The findings are the result of two separate surveys \u2014 one of 1,000 consumers that explores why motorists continue to engage in distracted driving behaviors; the other of 1,000 executives that looks at workplace accountability in relation to distracted driving.<\/p>\n The combined report findings, as compiled in the 2019 Travelers Risk Index, conclude that the connected culture and mounting workplace expectations may be contributing to distracted driving.<\/p>\n Although one in four businesses reported having an employee get in a distraction-related accident while driving to work, many employers expect their people to remain connected and take few steps to discourage negative behaviors behind the wheel.<\/p>\n For example, while three out of four companies reported having a distracted driving policy in place, enforcement is inconsistent. Moreover, just 18% of companies require employees to set their phones to Do Not Disturb before driving.<\/p>\n Perhaps most disturbing is the message employees are getting about being accessible \u2014 even if they are behind the wheel.<\/p>\n A whopping 87% of executives said they expect workers to be sometimes or frequently reachable outside of the office. It’s not surprising then that 20% of consumer respondents admit to replying to work-related messages while driving and say they do so because they fear upsetting their boss.<\/p>\n Nearly half of those same respondents say they always need to be available or do not want to miss a work-related emergency. Finally, 17% say drive time is when they get a lot of work done.<\/p>\n A majority of respondents (77%) admitted to making or taking calls when behind the wheel. Other common distracted behaviors that drivers engage in were texting or emailing (44%), using social media (23%), recording video or taking photos (22%), and shopping online (15%).<\/p>\nWorkplace Pressures Contribute to Distracted Driving<\/h3>\n
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I\u00b4m\u00a0a Fleet Management expert, and the manager of\u00a0![\"\"](\"http:\/\/en.advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Cartel-Valencia-2019-1.jpg\")
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