More Fortune 500 companies ban cell phone use while driving

Itasca, IL – One out of every 5 Fortune 500 companies have total bans on cell phone use while driving, according to findings from a survey released Jan. 12 by the National Safety Council.

According to NSC, more than half of these policies were implemented since 2008. Council staff concluded the results indicate "corporate America is heeding the public's growing call to eliminate cell phone use behind the wheel."

Additional survey results show while nearly half of the companies with total bans recently implemented their policies and are yet to track productivity levels, 40 percent of companies reported productivity either increased or remained at the same level with total bans.

Research by the council indicates cell phone use while driving has been associated with quadrupling the crash risk. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics show that in 2008, approximately 5,870 people were killed and an estimated 515,000 were injured in crashes in which at least one form of driver distraction was reported.