Road safety coalition frames mobile phone policy

A mobile phone policy guide is being launched today by the National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP) – an alliance of different bodies concerned with road safety and phone use.

Among the groups involved in the development of the Guide and Safe Use of Mobiles in Vehicles (SUMV) are the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB Group), Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), Australasian Fleet Management Association (AfMA), Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA), Hard Edge, Optus, Futureye, IAG, RACV, Telstra, Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and Vodafone.

One of the principal factors acknowledged in the guide is that drivers – being fallible – will make phone calls while driving. It's the duty of any commercial driver's employer to ensure safety is paramount, the NRSPP argues.

"The SUMV recognised that workplace blanket bans on mobile phone use while driving were not always practical and changing the conversation to education and practical advice was essential to empowering workers to use their devices legally and responsibly when they feel it is safe to do so," said Jerome Carslake, Manager of the NRSPP.

"We are not advocating for the use of mobile phones in vehicles but that drivers and organisations need to be informed and understand the risks. It's critical that there are clear processes in place to ensure the demands of a business' operations do not encourage employees to use mobile phones illegally or in an unsafe manner."

Recommendations in the guide relate to having the right tools for in-car communications while on the move. And the guide also highlights the aspects of phone use in a vehicle where the potential for risk is greatest.

"Through this initiative, we're giving the business community the tools to take a proactive approach to educating workers about the risks from unsafe phone use, while also providing practical advice about how to realistically manage those risks in a professional environment," says Carslake.

"Illegal and unsafe mobile phone use while driving remains a major road safety concern across Australia, despite increased penalties and pleas from police about the serious risks of drivers taking their eyes off the road to text or dial a hand-held phone.

"It's well understood that Australian business leaders have a responsibility to provide their staff with a safe workplace, but many don't realise the power they hold in driving behavior change to create safer roads for everyone. Vehicles represent the greatest risk to workers with two thirds of all work related fatalities involving a vehicle, a third on public and a third on private roads. Clearly, we need to do more as a business community."

Many of the tips in the guide could be considered common sense, although one, advising the caller you're driving, is not so common. But the guide places some onus on employers to monitor the prevailing culture within the workplace, where mobile phone usage in the car may be concerned. Setting an example from the top is also encouraged, as are education and incentives.