Companies weigh risks of distracted driving

Distracted driving has emerged over the past five years as perhaps the top road safety priority in the USA. April is National Distracted Driving Awareness month. Most attention has focused on individual drivers, especially young ones. Now, many businesses — concerned about liability issues in the face of new laws and the impact of distraction-related crashes on their bottom line — are beginning to develop policies for their fleet drivers.

A new federal law that prohibits commercial vehicle operators from using handheld cellphones while driving affects about 4 million truck and bus drivers, plus tens of millions of other fleet drivers. A commercial motor vehicle is one that weighs more than 10,000 pounds and crosses a state line for business purposes, or any vehicle above 26,000 pounds. The law, which took effect Jan. 3, applies to major companies such as U.S. Wal-Mart and Greyhound and to mom-and-pop businesses such as florists, bakeries and dry cleaners.