11th Annual 'Drive Safely Work Week' Begins Today
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 6 million traffic collisions in the United States in 2006, resulting in 42,642 fatalities and nearly 2.6 million injuries. With this fact in mind, the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) is continuing its efforts to promote safe driving by sponsoring its 11th annual "Drive Safely Work Week," a nationally observed campaign that is occurring Oct. 1-5 and is designed to help employers reduce preventable crashes both on and off the job.
This year's campaign theme, "Take Charge of YOUR Driving Behavior. Reduce YOUR Crash Risk, " addresses what NETS identifies as five common "high-risk" driving mistakes, which are:
- Being Inattentive
- Following Too Closely
- Traveling at Improper Speeds
- Ignoring Traffic Signs & Signals
- Backing Up Unsafely
According to NETS, campaign participation has increased each year as thousands of employers from the public and private sectors have begun take part in this campaign by promoting the DSWW safe driving messages to all of their employees. NETS says the main reasons for implementing the campaign in workplaces are to:
- Save the lives of employees, their families, and members of your community
- Protect organizations from the human, economic, and liability costs associated with motor vehicle crashes
- Demonstrate good corporate citizenship by making the roadways safer for everyone
Employers wishing to participate can register on the NETS Web site at www.trafficsafety.org/dsww.asp and download all of the campaign materials at no cost. Materials are purposely not dated so employers may continue to stress these traffic safety messages and promote safe driving practices within their organizations throughout the year.