Focus 360° Drive Safely Work Week 2011 just around the corner

Every October, the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) hosts Drive Safely Work Week.  This week is an opportunity for organizations to help their employees focus on safe driving.  These employers take their employees' safety--and the safety of others on the road--seriously, and at the same time, they're helping protect their organization's bottom line.

This year's campaign is called Focus 360°: Getting there is everyone's business, and for the second year in a row NETS is using its resources to fight distracted driving.  Employers have the potential to reach up to one-half of the nation's population, and their support in our fight to stop distracted driving is crucial.

Through their excellent Drive Safely Work Week toolkit, NETS offers three paths for employers this year:

Those who already have a workplace policy covering mobile device use and driving can get tips and activities to reinforce and help sustain their policy. 

Those who have yet to establish a policy will find plenty of resources to help design the right policy for their organization. 

Finally, those who aren't interested in adopting a corporate policy but still want to educate employees can find materials on the dangers of distracted driving.

Last year's efforts bore tremendous fruit: 88 percent of the nearly 5,000 organizations that participated in Drive Safely Work Week 2010 now have some form of corporate mobile device policy.

And this year's kit is even better because NETS has expanded their materials to help employees stay focused not only when they're driving, but when they're riding as passengers, walking, and even bicycling.  That's the full circle Drive Safely Work Week covers in 2011, and that's why this year's campaign is called Focus 360°.

Another key addition included in this year's toolkit is a selection of DOT's "Faces of Distracted Driving" videos, including our latest video, which features a young woman killed by a driver who was texting with his workplace at the time of the crash.  These tragic stories put a human face to this issue, and I know employees will find them very compelling.

 

Finally, one other element of the 2011 materials I like is the "What would you say?" activity.  This asks participants to plan ahead for that uncomfortable situation when they are passengers and the person driving is texting or talking on a cell phone instead of focusing on the road.  This activity isn't just useful for employees; I think it's a terrific tool for workers to bring home and share with their families so we can make everyone a little safer.

Look, I know Drive Safely Work Week doesn't begin until October 3, but that's really just around the corner, and it's never too soon to start preparing for safety.  Please download your toolkit today.

I applaud NETS for making this valuable resource available to companies and organizations across the country, and I cannot thank them enough for their help in curbing this deadly epidemic.