Drivers ‘under pressure’ to answer phones behind the wheel

Driver training specialist AA DriveTech has warned that employees are feeling pressured by bosses to take dangerous risks by using their mobile phones whilst behind the wheel.

A recent AA/Populus survey of nearly 7,000 individuals who drive for work reportedly found that almost one in five (19 per cent) do not believe their employer actively encourages the safe and legal use of mobile phones while driving for work or commuting.

More than one in twenty said they felt under pressure to answer their hand-held work mobile when driving, while two per cent had been explicitly told they were expected to return emails, texts and calls while driving, with four per cent criticised by a manager or colleagues for not doing so.

88 per cent of more than 22,000 drivers asked did not believe that taking or making calls whilst driving was ‘a fundamentally safe activity’.

AA DriveTech warned that using a mobile whilst driving significantly increases the likelihood of being involved in a crash – even a hands-free version, which around one in six of those who drive for work said they felt under pressure to answer.

It added that companies shirking their duty of care to employees could even risk facing charges of corporate manslaughter in the event of a fatality.

Simon Stammers, fleet director at AA DriveTech, said: “We understand that people are often under considerable pressure to be available to their work at all times.

“But driving is the most dangerous task the majority of employees undertake while at work, so feeling that you have to respond to calls, texts and emails when you are driving is an unnecessary risk. It is especially worrying that some people say they have been explicitly told they should respond to calls, texts and emails when they are driving.

“Employers have a statutory duty of care and, besides the risk to their employees, they are putting themselves at risk of liability and criminal charges in the event of a crash if the company’s actions, or lack of them, is deemed to have contributed to the incident.”

Increasing concern surrounding the use of mobile phones by drivers is leading to the development of products such as the Driver Distraction Prevention (DDP) application (pictured) from mobile workforce management specialist Romex. The app is installed on employees’ phones, and will cut off and block voice calls while driving, as well as locking the keypad to prevent texting and emailing.