Put the Brakes on Distracted Driving

Distracted Driving Statistics

If the weather’s good and the traffic’s light, nothing could go wrong on the road. Or could it? Cell phones, music playlists, and personal problems are just a few factors competing for our attention when we get behind the wheel—and the fallout can be fatal.

In 2022, distracted driving caused nearly one in sixcrashes on Texas roads, claimed 487 lives, and seriously injured 2,824 more, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Everyone who drives on school business should understand the risks and know how to protect themselves, their passengers, other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

Manage with Risk Control in Mind

If you’re a school administrator or manager, you can help employees avoid accidents that stem from distractions, road conditions, and other causes:

• Develop a local policy to promote sound-driving practices among all authorized drivers.
• Ensure organization-wide consistency by training supervisors on policies and expectations.
• Tailor driver training programs to specific vehicles, equipment, and risks for each employee. Training content should be a combination of lecture, on-the-job, operator observation, and skills tests.
• If you are a manager at any level, log into your Fund dashboard regularly and review your loss history reports. to identify successes or pitfalls in risk prevention programs. Reach out to us if you need help accessing, analyzing, or using your loss data.

3 Types of Distractions While Driving

Behind-the-wheel distractions fall into three categories:

1. Visual distraction

Taking your eyes off the road:

• Reading a billboard
• Adjusting GPS
• Sending a text message

2. Manual distraction

Taking your hands off the wheel:

• Eating
• Grooming
• Reaching for something on the floorboard

3. Cognitive distraction

Taking your mind off driving:

• Daydreaming
• Thinking about personal or work troubles
• Getting angry at other drivers
• Driving while tired

How to Stay Focused Behind the Wheel

You can’t eliminate distractions, but you can help your drivers stay focused by sharing these tips with them.

1. Clear your mind

You probably have meetings, videoconference calls, and other obligations before you get on the road. If you’re coming out of a Zoom meeting and going straight to driving, your mind hasn’t had time to adapt to an environment with risk.

According to Insurance Business America, daydreaming or being lost in thought accounted for 61 percent of distracted driving fatalities over a five-year period. Before you get behind the wheel, make sure your mind is clear and ready to focus on the task at hand.

Some ideas to get ready for the drive include:

• Hydrate. Especially in the Texas heat, it is important to stay hydrated to help you stay alert and manage your daily tasks.  Eight ounces of water might be just enough to bring down your body temperature and calm your mind.
• Get some steps in. Sometimes, taking a quick walk around the building is all you need to refocus. According to Psychology Today, walking can reduce your anxiety and boost your concentration, energy, and mood.
• Get plenty of rest and take breaks. Driver fatigue can have the same impact as driving under the influence of alcohol, causing distraction and poor judgment.

2. Observe your surroundings

Whether you're driving a school bus, sedan, truck, or SUV, it is key to focus on your surroundings:

• Avoid multitasking. Studies show that the human brain cannot multitask. As a school employee, you juggle many responsibilities, but it is important to try to focus on one task at a time as much as possible while driving.
• Monitor weather conditions. Check the forecast before you go, and be ready for the unexpected. You can monitor road conditions at drivetexas.org.
• Be careful when coming to a stop. This is especially important when using a stop arm and in a school zone because students are crossing the street and other are vehicles rushing to their destination. Make sure you come to a complete stop and get a full picture of your surroundings.

3. Manage distractions in the vehicle

You can go a long way toward protecting yourself and other drivers by focusing on what's in front of and around you, but don't forget about distractions inside the vehicle:

• Keep your hands on the wheel. Bus drivers should have wireless headsets to connect to the radio. If you can’t go wireless, make sure radio equipment is easy to reach in case drivers need to take a call. Drivers should also avoid doing other tasks that take their hands off the wheel, like eating, putting on makeup, or reaching for something on the floorboard.
• Put the cell phone down. Driving while texting, which involves all three types of distractions, is illegal in Texas. According to the National Safety Council, drivers using handheld or hands-free phones only see about 50 percent of what’s around them.
• Don’t let passengers derail you. Passengers, including students, can distract drivers, even if they don’t mean to. Transportation departments should have written protocol for passenger management. Staff should be trained on the protocols. We also recommend you include the protocols in bus driver on-boarding and that you retrain drivers at least annually. Finally, make sure students understand rider expectations on buses.

Follow local guidelines and policies

Your cities likely have policies and regulations designed to prevent distracted driving. Make sure employees are familiar with your organizational policies, too. It is also important that you and your drivers are trained properly on the vehicles you operate, such as trailers, buses, and trucks.

More Resources

• National Safety Council tools and templates
• Driver safety training toolkit (login required) (for members with Auto coverage)
• Distracted driving online training (login required)

Editor's note: This article was originally published in May 2021. It has since been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.