Washington – The Department of Transportation and the Better Business Bureau have teamed up to educate consumers and businesses about the dangers of distracted driving, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said on June 8.
According to a DOT press release, the partnership will urge businesses to adopt distracted driving policies as part of their work culture. The benefits of these policies include saving lives, reducing time lost from work due to crashes and injuries, reduced insurance premiums, and money savings, the press release said.
BBB’s website will feature a free toolkit providing employers with suggested distracted driving policies.
Nearly 5,500 people in the United States were killed and almost half a million were injured in crashes related to distracted driving in 2009, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Eighteen percent of those fatal incidents involved the use of a cell phone.
