Driving Safety Tips for Cell Phones

A cell phone can be an extremely valuable tool to have available when driving. It can enable you to report an accident, call for help in an emergency, or otherwise reach transportation authorities. When reporting an emergency situation, it is best to always pull over so you or other drivers are not at risk. It can also be helpful to have pre-programmed numbers into your phone (such as "911", your insurance agent, an "in case of emergency" contact and more).

Some additional safety steps to consider while driving are to always turn your cell phone off or to silent mode before driving. This will keep you from being distracted by a ring/notification and also limit the temptation to talk or text while driving. Then, once the trip is over, you can return any missed calls or texts now that it's safe to do so. If you must leave your cell phone on while driving and need to make or receive a call, first pull over and park in a safe area.

If you plan to use a hands-free device, remember despite allowing you to keep to hands on the wheel these can still cause serious distractions while driving. If you do plan to use one of these, try to prepare everything before you start driving. Connect the headset/speaker to your device. If you have a holder for your phone, make sure the phone is secure and will not pop out while you are driving.

Tips for Use in Company Vehicles

Companies with employees that must use their cell phone while driving should provide the worker with a hands-free device for their phone. Some companies offer driver safety training which includes demonstrating how and when the employee should use the cell phone.

If you are an employer, allow the employee to take the responsibility of paying any fines associated with the use of a cell phone. If the employee is found to be using a company cell phone for personal use or the phone becomes a distraction, you may need to warn the employee or ban the use of cell phones with that employee. It is up to the company to create a phone policy and make sure the policy is fair to everyone and is being enforced.

Remember, cell phones are a big part of our lives today. Using them safely when driving and wisely is a good habit for everyone.

Are you the type of person that likes to multitask? Mobile phones are a great tool for the habitual multitasker, but the distraction they cause can have catastrophic results. Here are a few ways to minimize the distraction they may cause:

A hands-free microphone or speaker system is one way to use your cell phone while keeping your hands free to be on the wheel of your automobile. This will not eliminate the distraction but it may help keep your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

If you are driving with a passenger you can always let them handle your cell phone calls while you're driving. They can relay messages to you and serve as an intermediary for the person making the call. The flipside of that is if you feel you need to talk on the phone, pull over and let the passenger be the driver for a little while. Likewise, if you are expecting an important call and it has to be taken, make sure to bring someone with you so that you may handle the call.

Never carry on any conversation that is stressful, difficult or could otherwise add to the distraction. Never talk on the cell phone in heavy traffic or during hazardous weather conditions. If you have to make or receive a call in such conditions, pull over and park in a safe area first.

By setting different ring tones for various callers (or types of callers) it can help you determine when to answer the phone or not.  Setting certain numbers as high priority can help you determine which calls to take (please pull over first) and which to let go to voice mail.  Even better, some phones / apps allow you to automatically send certain numbers to voice mail, while letting those you specify through.

A cell phone can be a valuable tool for highway safety enabling a person to report a crime, a bad accident, life-threatening emergencies, or drunk drivers. When reporting an emergency situation on your cell phone, it is best to pull over so you or other drivers will not be at risk. Make sure "911” is programmed into your phone for reporting emergencies. Cell phones will still connect to 911 even if no signal can be procured.

There is no denying that the use of cell phones while driving is distracting to the driver and does cause accidents.  Our official recommendation is not to do it, but if you plan on ignoring this we hope that these tips can help you limit the distraction.