Vehicle fatalities rise alongside cell phone use

I think it’s pretty safe to say that we’ve all been guilty of distracted driving to one extent or another.

Just ask truck drivers. They have a bird’s eye view of folks behind the wheel doing a lot more than just driving. From texting to watching videos, grooming in the rearview mirror, arguing and nodding off, truck drivers have seen it all and have also fallen prey to distracted driving themselves.

But they’re not always the ones to initiate the distraction. Employers and loved ones reaching out to drivers on the road can prove to be a risky distraction. And it can be hard for truckers to refuse either call.

“Phone calls with managers can be very distracting and calls with family can be very distracting too,” Chris Hayes, Travelers assistant vice president of risk control told me during a recent interview regarding the recently published 2023 Travelers Risk Index.

“From moment to moment, it's hard to know when that phone call is going to take a turn you weren't expecting,” Hayes continued. “So to me that's a good indication that if at all such calls should be rare and brief.”

TravelersChanging phone call habits can be tough since those making calls to truckers — particularly employers — expect a driver to answer. In fact, a whopping 87% of employers surveyed by Travelers expect their employees to respond to work-related messages when they’re out of the office during work hours.

Getting in touch with drivers doesn’t have to entail talking on the phone or sending a text. Walmart, CCJ’s Innovator of the Month for April, created a driver app that sends a recorded audio message to drivers that they can hear while driving down the road. If necessary, they can find a safe place to park and call in for additional details, otherwise the idea is to leave drivers alone.