Cell phones and driving - insurance industry taking notice?

We have touched on this subject briefly before but I ran across an article in "The Specialty Insurance Blog" referencing statistics that indicate that distractions while driving, such as using a cell phone, have a direct impact on accidents. The blog references a post in the Insurance Journal that discusses a finding by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), that emphasizes that 25% of all traffic accidents are caused by distractions, and that a survey done by Nationwide Mutual Insurance found that 73% of all drivers talk on their cell phones while driving. I mentioned in the past about small business employers having clearly stated company policies for employee use of cell phones while driving on company business and I think this further illustrates the actual gravity of the issue. The Specialty Insurance Blog referenced a study by the University of South Carolina that found subjects were "4 times more distracted while preparing to speak or speaking than when they were listening". Maybe it's time to revisit the issue in the office?

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