CINCINNATI — First Student (FGA), North America’s leading transportation company, joins with the National Safety Council (NSC) to recognize April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month and encourages all motorists to take the NSC pledge to drive cell free at www.nsc.org/pledge.
The NSC estimates that nearly 25 percent of all automobile crashes each year are caused by drivers distracted by cell phones while driving. This is greater than the number of accidents caused by any other distraction.
FGA led the industry in 2008 when it issued a company-wide policy prohibiting all employees or contractors on company business from using a mobile device, either hand-held or hands-free, while driving. Employees across all divisions of the company are instructed to pull over at a safe location and turn off their engine before making a call or sending a text message. FGA encourages employees to observe the policy while on personal time and to promote the practice with their family and friends. To help employers implement or strengthen their cell phone policies, the NSC offers a free Cell Phone Policy Kit on its website, www.distracteddriving.nsc.org.
“The safety of our passengers, employees and other road users is our foremost concern, and we fully support the NSC’s initiatives – including the organization’s important cell-free pledge,” said Gary Catapano, senior vice president of Safety, First Student. “It is our hope that government officials, executives and citizens across North America join us in adopting these safe driving practices.”