This is some information that Fleet Managers can share with Line Managers and other stakeholders in their business to help keep the focus on safe driving when the vehicle is a workplace.
Keeping your eyes on the road is essential for safe driving. But when you look at your phone, you’re oblivious to what’s around you. In fact, at 50km per hour, even a 2 second glance at your phone means you’ll travel up to 28 metres blind. What will you miss?
What you can do to avoid distracted driving?
- Install the ‘do not disturb’ function on your phone.
- Put your phone out of reach such as in the glovebox or car boot.
- Turn your phone on silent, or turn it off completely when driving.
- As a passenger, speak up and encourage others to be safe.
How mobile phones distract
- Physical distraction caused by handling your phone, such as removing your hand from the steering wheel.
- Visual distraction caused by the amount of time you have your eyes off the road.
- Cognitive distraction caused by lapses in attention and judgement. This happens when you have to perform two mental tasks at the same time.
A glace at your phone takes approximately 2 seconds and the average person’s reaction time to an event is 1.8 seconds which is factored into the probability of a crash and the severity of injury from a crash. This means nearly four seconds can pass before the average ‘distracted’ driver can react.
The table below shows how far you travel at different speeds when you take your eyes off the road for just two seconds:
| Travel Speed | Distraction Time | Distance Travelled (metres) |
| 40 km/h | 2 seconds | 22.22 |
| 50 km/h | 2 seconds | 27.78 |
| 60 km/h | 2 seconds | 33.33 |
| 80 km/h | 2 seconds | 44.44 |
| 100 km/h | 2 seconds | 55.56 |
