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Idaho Transportation
Department
Office of Communications
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563

 


Annual campaign focuses on safe commutes to work

The first week of October provides an opportunity for employers – including the transportation department – to emphasize that workers take extra care while driving to work.

Drive Safely Work Week Oct. 1-5 (DSWW) is an annual week devoted to improving the safety and health of the nation’s workforce by promoting safe driving practices at their place of business. The campaign is always the first full week in October. The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) celebrates its 11th year of the life-saving campaign this year.

The morning and evening commutes, with increasing traffic congestion and growing impatience by motorists and greater competition for driver attention, can make drives challenging for employees.

The national Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) selected the theme “Take Charge of Your Driving Behavior, Reduce Your Crash Risk,” for the 2007 campaign It provides risk avoidance tips that each driver can take to ensure his or her safety and the safety of others sharing the road. Campaign materials were developed for drivers to avoid high-risk driving mistakes.

In conjunction with this year’s campaign that focuses on “high-risk” driving, NETS will sponsor a series of one-day regional workshops this fall and winter, “High-Risk” Driving in the Workplace, to address this critical safety issue that makes organizations vulnerable to potential liabilities or legal costs. Participants will have an opportunity to benchmark their organizations’ driver safety practices, providing valuable insight into the safety of their drivers.

Each year, campaign participation increases as thousands of employers from the public and private sectors and from all size organizations and industry types take part in this lifesaving campaign by promoting the DSWW safe driving messages to all of their employees.

The main reasons for implementing the campaign in your workplace are to:

  1. Save lives – your employees, their families and members of your community.
  2. Protect your organization from the human, economic and liability costs associated with motor vehicle crashes.
  3. Demonstrate good corporate citizenship by making the roadways safer for everyone.

The most dangerous part of the workday for any employee is the time they spend in their vehicle. Consider:

  • Every 5 seconds a crash occurs
  • Every 7 seconds a property damage crash occurs
  • Every 10 seconds there is a traffic-related injury
  • Every 2 minutes there is an alcohol-related injury
  • Every 12 minutes someone dies in a roadway crash
  • Every 31 minutes an alcohol-related fatality occurs
  • Every 5 seconds a crash occurs; many of these incidents occur during the workday. In fact, one in four work-related deaths are due to a traffic-related trauma
  • With 91 percent of employees commuting to and from work and 18 percent of all motor vehicle trips being work-related, employers have an opportunity to make a difference on our nation’s

Published 9-28-07