FirstGroup America Supports Distracted Driving Awareness Month

CINCINNATI, April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstGroup America (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.

This year's theme – What were you thinking? – focuses on educating the public on the distraction to the brain from a cell phone conversation while driving, whether hand-held or hands-free. The NSC estimates that nearly 25 percent of all automobile crashes each year are caused by drivers distracted by cell phones. 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. Additional resources - including a distracted driving infographic, fact sheets and videos - are found on the site as well.

"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."

About FirstGroup America
FirstGroup America - headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio - is North America's largest transportation company. With more than 87,500 employees, the company operates First Student, the largest provider of student transportation in the U.S. and Canada; First Transit, a leading provider of transit management and contracting services; First Services, a leading provider of contract fleet maintenance and management services, and Greyhound bus lines, the largest provider of intercity bus transportation. Parent corporation FirstGroup plc, is traded on the London Stock Exchange and serves more than 2.5 billion passengers each year. For more information, visit www.firstgroupamerica.com or follow the company on Twitter at http://twitter.com/FirstGrpAmerica.

SOURCE FirstGroup America