New online distracted driving course from the National Safety Council helps employers tackle leading cause of workplace deaths

Cell phone use while driving is a serious threat to employee safety and a company's financial health

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Jun 25, 2015, 12:00 ET

ITASCA, Ill., June 25, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the National Safety Council released a 90-minute Distracted Driving Online course to help employers educate staff about the risks of cell phone use while driving. Car crashes are the leading cause of workplace fatalities, and cell phone use significantly increases crash risk. Employers also can be held legally responsible if their employees are involved in cell phone-related crashes.

The mission of the National Safety Council is to save lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy.

"Employers have been leaders in the fight to end distracted driving," said Shay Gallagher, vice president and general manager of the National Safety Council. "Employers were implementing cell phone policies years before distracted driving laws were passed, because they knew policies would help protect employees – their greatest asset. This course can provide another tool to help employers reduce the risk of a serious liability and safety issue."

The course explains what is included in the best cell phone policies and how to implement them so they are most effective – both at protecting employees and the company's financial well-being. Employers have been held legally responsible for crashes involving employees using cell phones; settlements in some cases have been more than $20 million.

The Distracted Driving Online course features fully-narrated animations with interactive exercises and driver simulations. The course explains why hands-free cell phone use is not safer, why multitasking is a myth and the direct and indirect costs of these crashes. Users will take a post-course survey to measure attitude changes, and they can sign and print a pledge to drive cell free.

The new course complements existing defensive driving courses and training materials developed by NSC. Employers can demo the course for free using promo code DDO5-PR. To order, visit the NSC web page nsc.org/DDConline-NOW or call (800) 621-7619.

About the National Safety Council
Founded in 1913 and chartered by Congress, the National Safety Council, nsc.org, is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to save lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. NSC advances this mission by partnering with businesses, government agencies, elected officials and the public in areas where we can make the most impact – distracted driving, teen driving, workplace safety, prescription drug overdoses and Safe Communities.

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SOURCE National Safety Council