Commercial drivers seen as more distracted than the general public
According to drivers in British Columbia, those who drive for a living aren’t necessarily doing it better than the average person.
A new Ipsos Reid poll in the province, conducted on behalf of ICBC, shows that by nearly a three-to-one margin, British Columbia drivers are more likely to think that commercial drivers are ‘worse than the general public’ (26%) than ‘better than the general public’ (9%) at following the restrictions on hand held electronic devices.
Overall, almost half (49 percent) of drivers think that commercial drivers are ‘about the same’ as the general public.
The survey also shows that the vast majority (91 percent) of British Columbian drivers agree that ‘employers should be required to provide their commercial drivers with written policies regarding restrictions on the use of handheld electronic devices while driving’, including nearly seven-in-ten (68 percent) who ‘agree strongly’. Only 6 percent of BC drivers disagree with this idea (3 percent ‘disagree strongly’).
“Workers and employers in B.C. need to take steps to eliminate any risks or distractions and consider that when you’re behind the wheel, driving is your only job,” said Diana Miles, senior vice-president of Worker and Employer Services at WorkSafeBC.
To help workers and employers, new materials are now available to download onWorkSafeBC.com, including a sample safe-driving policy; tip sheets for employers, supervisors and workers; as well as a new video to help drive home the message even further.
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