Monday, May 17, 2010

Say "NO" to Texting while Driving!

If your company has vehicles on the road then texting while driving is becoming a major risk for you. Talking on a cell phone without a hands free device creates a major risk exposure, but texting while driving poses an even larger threat. This threat not only affects companies that employ drivers and operate fleets, but to others on the road. A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study found that texting while driving increases the risk of being in an accident by 23 times. As the report states, “Anti-texting laws do not protect businesses from irresponsible employees.”

Due to the increase of accidents caused by distractions (including texting) half of the states in the U.S. have made decisions to outlaw texting while driving. As you know, sometimes a law is not enough to discourage some of your employee’s actions.

So how can you control the actions of your drivers when they’re on the road?

The Solution: TextArrest (https://textarrest.com/)

This is a smart phone application that automatically turns off text messaging and calling functions while the phone is in motion.

The features include:
  • Integration with a phone’s GPS system to determine the speed of a moving vehicle.
  • Automatic switching off of text messaging and calling functions after a phone is detected to be traveling faster that 5 mph.
  • An auto response message from the driver that informs people sending text messages that their messages will be delivered once the user stops driving


Fleet managers and risk managers may want to consider the option of having complete control of their driver’s cell phone use while operating a company vehicle.