and ffDWTrr- Your business cantt afford them

. Have you slammed on your brakes because you did not see the car in front of you stop?

Have you ever missed an exit you intended to take?

. Have you ever had no recollection of driving from one place to another?

. Have you unintentionally run a stop sign?

If the answer is "yes," you're not alone. you were likely driving while distracted. Federated Mutual Insurance Co. data for the past three years (200i-2009) shows distracted driving is a contributing factor in more than half of driving losses reported by our clients.

Text messaging has exploded! Statistics show it doubled from December 2007 (48 billion text messages sent) to December 2008 ( l l0 billion text messages sent)-.

ffnve you HEARD rHE LATEsT acronyms being used to lldescribe our driving-"DWD" and "DWT"?

Someday the terms "driving while distracted" and ,.driving while texting" may become as socially unacceptable as "DWI" (driving while intoxicated) and ..DUI" (driving under the influence). The reason-a distracted driver is ai dangerous on the road as a driver with a blood alcohol level of .08-and a texting driver is even more dangerous!

Have any of these scenarios ever happened to you or to one of your company's employees?

. Has a passenger in your vehicle reacted to something you did-or did not do-while you were behind the wheeli

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute have reported that nearly 80Vo of crashes and 65Vo of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the crash. With statistics like these, it's not surprising that the federal and state governments are taking a closer look at this issue.

Regulatory Front

On January 13,2009,the National Safety Council issued a press release that called on motorists to stop usins cell phones and messaging devices while driving. The rJease urged businesses to adopt policies prohibiting cell phone use and called on governors and legislators in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to pass laws banning the behavior.

From Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, 2009, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood held a Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, DC. The DOT has a website dedicated to information on distracted driving at www.distraction.gov.

On Oct. l, 2009, the Obama Administration announced an executive order banning all federal workers from texting while driving on government business, driving government vehicles. or using government equipment. Later in October, the Chairman of the Governors' HighwaY SafetY Association testified at a hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee supporting a texting ban for all drivers.

AAA also announced last fall that it will push to pass laws banning driver text messaging in all 50 states bY 2013. According to the AAA Foundation, a ban implemented bY the State of California a year ago has reduced on-the-road text messagesby 1OVo.

To say that the Year 2009 was an active one at the federal and state levels in regard to distracted driving would be an understatement. In 2008, 23 states considered some form of leg- islation to restrict the use of cell phones or wireless devices. In 2009' more than 200 distracted driving bills were considered in 43 states! To see an up-to-date listing of current state cell phone and text messaging laws, go to www.iihs.org.

What Gan I Do?

When you think about it, Your vehicle is fast becoming the ultimate mobile device. Perhaps you equip it with a smartphone-a mobile Phone that doubles as a computer and allows you to plug in anywhere. Smartphones are setting a new standard for information access and exchange. There are 250 million cell phone subscribers in the U.S.-most of whom operate vehicles on our nation's roadwaYs.

You realize your emPloYees are crucial to the success of your business. Educate your staff about the dangers of "DWD" and "DWT"-the two newest acronyms your company needs to avoid.

- Anne Peterson is senior marketing communications specialist for Federated Insurance ComPanies, Owatonna, Mn' (www.federatedinsurance.com)' She can be reached at sapeterson@fedins.com or (507) 455-5340.