April 16, 2002

More companies adopt cell phone policies as states weigh restrictions

Des Plaines, Ill. – April 9, 2002 – The use of any cellular telephone while driving, whether hands-free or not, makes the driver four-times more likely to be involved in an accident than a non-cell phone user, according to several recent studies. The risk of driving under the influence of conversation – particularly for drivers over age 50 – is inspiring more companies to implement cell phone policies for employees.

"The evidence is overwhelming that cell phone usage while driving is hazardous to drivers and those around them," said Vince Sommer, director of collision management and driver safety programs at Wheels, Inc., a leading fleet management company. "That is prompting many companies, particularly those who understand the risks – like those in the insurance and telecommunications industries – to create policies for their employees’ use of phones while driving."

An informal survey conducted recently by Wheels shows that 59 percent of companies have instituted a cell phone policy – and all of them say they have done so for liability and safety reasons. Of those that have not implemented a policy, more than half are in the process of implementing a policy and 90 percent have considered one.

Wheels has found a correlation between the size of the company and the likelihood that it will implement a cell phone policy: only 16 percent of companies surveyed with a cell phone policy had fewer than 1,000 employees, while more than 82 percent of companies with more than 1,000 employees have such a policy. Overall, 59 percent of companies of all sizes surveyed have a policy on cell phone use while driving.

A growing body of research argues against cell phone use by drivers. Following are selected findings from four studies:

National Public Services Research Institute study for AAA

• All forms of cellular phone usage lead to significant increases in response times or non-response to highway traffic situations.
• Intense or complex conversation leads to the greatest increases in overlooking significant highway traffic conditions and the time to respond to them.
• The distracting effect of cellular phone use among drivers over age 50 is two to three times greater than on younger drivers. The effect is to increase non-response time by more than one-third.
  

The University of Toronto

• Hands-free operation offers no safety advantage over hand-held units.
• While use of cellular phones may not increase the odds that a driver is at fault in an accident, it will decrease the driver’s ability to avoid a collision.
• More than one-third (39 percent) of drivers involved in collisions subsequently use their cell phones to call emergency services.

Insurance Corporation of British Columbia

A driver distraction study, designed and conducted by ICBC with MacInnis Engineering, looked at how listening or responding to messages while driving could affect driving performance. It measured responses by motorists in traffic situations while they were engaged in discussions that simulated a hands-free cell phone conversation. Forty-one motorists - regular cell phone users - participated in three-hour road tests. Drivers followed an oval course designed to simulate driving situations including a traffic light, a left turn and weaving to avoid obstacles in the traveled lane. While driving, motorists heard a voice through a speaker that asked questions designed to require attention. Specific findings of the study include:

• The more complex the driving task, the more the conversation on a cell phone interferes with driving performance.
• The most demanding task was that requiring left-turn decisions. Drivers who were listening and responding to messages while attempting a left-hand turn accepted significantly shorter gaps in the oncoming traffic to make their turn. This primarily occurred under wet pavement conditions. In the absence of a message, drivers realized that it would take an oncoming vehicle longer to stop when the pavement was wet, and therefore waited for greater gaps in oncoming traffic to make their turn. But when responding to messages, the drivers did not make this adjustment and were twice as likely to accept potentially hazardous gaps in oncoming traffic.
• When drivers were involved in a conversation and had to swerve to avoid colliding with an obstacle on the road, they went around the obstacle an average of 11 percent faster.

Transportation Safety Laboratory of Universite de Montreal

This study is based on a sample of 36,000 people who filled out a questionnaire and signed a release form, including 12,700 users of wireless telephones and 23,300 nonusers.

• Both male and female wireless telephone users have a 38 percent higher risk of accident compared with the nonusers of the same gender.
• Relative risk increases with frequency of cell phone use; the risk of accident for heavy users (more than 135 calls made per month) is about twice the risk for light users (fewer than 10 calls made per month). These results take into account other accident risk factors, including driver age and the year of the accident, and driving habits, such as kilometers driven annually and night driving.

43 states consider limiting cell phone use

Faced with mounting research that highlights the risk of using cell phones while driving, most states are seriously considering legislation to curtail cell phone use by drivers.

During the 2001 legislative sessions alone, 43 states considered 140 bills to limit devices that distract drivers. New York was the first state to pass a law prohibiting the use of handheld cellular telephones while driving.

Even Federal agencies have been requested to discourage their employees from using handheld cell phones while driving vehicles owned or leased by the government. The U.S. General Services Administration, which provides facilities and management services to other federal agencies, has stopped short of banning the use of handheld cell phones while driving. But a notice that appeared in the Federal Register on March 1 has recommended that agencies discourage their employees from driving while talking.

"Now that the majority of states have proposed legislation that would restrict the use of wireless telecommunications while driving, fleet managers will be faced with decisions," said Sommer. "Creating and enforcing an effective policy will be a challenge."

The "safe driving" policies that Wheels observed in its survey range from lengthy documents that provide directives on how to use a cellular phone safely to a policy that permits cellular phones but recommends use in emergency situations only. One company’s policy prohibits the use of any cellular phone without a ‘hands-free’ device while driving.

About Wheels, Inc.
Wheels, Inc., which pioneered the concept of auto leasing in 1939, provides a full range of specialized services to help corporations manage their vehicle fleets. Wheels has 550 employees, leases more than 195,000 vehicles and manages more than 240,000 vehicles. Its holding company, Frank Consolidated Enterprises, currently ranks as one of the largest private companies in the United States, with more than $1 billion in annual sales. Wheels, Inc., is accessible on the World Wide Web at www.wheels.com.