Get Off The Phone: The National Safety Council Calls On Drivers to Hang Up

ITASCA, IL--June 26, 2011: The National Safety Council will launch On the Road, Off the Phone week, June 26-30, for National Safety Month -- an annual observance to educate and influence behaviors around the leading causes of preventable injuries and deaths. Through National Safety Month, NSC calls on the public, communities, municipalities and other organizations to help spread critical safety messages.

Through its website, NSC is providing posters and tip sheets to help people understand why all cell phone use -- both handheld and hands-free -- is dangerous while driving. Also during the week, NSC is launching a video series, available to NSC member organizations, addressing the most frequently asked questions around this deadly behavior. The series is made up of 12 video shorts to help organizations share with employees why cell phone-free driving is a necessity. Businesses looking to implement or strengthen their corporate cell phone policies and better protect employees can take advantage of the free NSC Cell Phone Policy Kit.

NSC estimates 23 percent of all motor vehicle crashes each year -- or 1.3 million -- involve drivers talking or texting on cell phones. Driving while using a cell phone requires the brain to multitask -- a process it cannot do safely while driving. Drivers focusing their attention on cell phone conversations instead of the roads have a tendency to “look at” but not “see” up to 50 percent of the information in their driving environment.

No cell phone call or text message is worth a life. NSC encourages all drivers to:

• Turn off or silence their cell phones before driving.
• Record a voice mail greeting telling callers it is not safe to make or receive calls while driving, and inform callers that you will return their calls when you are able to do so safely.
• Leave the road and park in a safe area if a call is urgent.
• Encourage family members and friends to stop using their cell phones while driving.

National Safety Council members are invited to participate in a free webinar, “Dangers of Distracted Driving,” on June 28. NSC would like to thank FirstGroup America for sponsoring the week.

The National Safety Council (nsc.org) saves lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the roads through leadership, research, education and advocacy.

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