By Jill Zuckman, U.S. Department of Transportation

BBB partners with DOT to spread the word at work about the need for safe driving policies.  In partnership with the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is calling on businesses across the country to make distracted driving policies an integral part of their employee culture.  NETS, which was created by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), is an employer-led public-private partnership dedicated to improving the safety and health of employees by preventing traffic crashes.

A strong distracted driving policy helps companies save lives, reduce time lost from work due to accidents, reduce insurance premiums, and save money.   The USDOT and NETS created a free tool kit that provides employers with education and awareness activities to help them create distracted driving policies that keep their employees safe.  The kit contains materials such as a sample company policy, a sample memo to employees on policy, and a sample company press release.

The campaign materials are easy to use from a planning perspective and filled with meaningful activities that reinforce the campaign’s messages without taking significant time away from the workday. Everything is electronic, designed for distribution with ease, and requires minimal printing.  You can get  the toolkit at http://trafficsafety.org/dsww-materials.