Drive safe this holiday season
December 07, 2009
By: Barbi Ward
Manager of Risk and Safety, PHH Arval
As a driver safety advocate, I grow increasingly concerned about driver risk as we enter the holiday season. We are already on “overload” with stress from balancing our work and home lives…and then here comes the added anxiety of the holidays! Daylight savings time has affected our biological clocks, making it feel much later when we leave our jobs in the evening. Then we add in shopping, decorating, party planning, and attending holiday celebrations. Enter fatigue, stress, and holiday depression - not to mention alcohol consumption – resulting in a lethal combination leading to driver distractions and an increase in vehicle crashes.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the daily death toll from drunk driving crashes are significantly higher during the Thanksgiving to Christmas time frame. Here’s the link to the full press release – some good information you might want to share with the drivers at your company.
I encourage you to stay safe this holiday season by pausing and taking a deep breath before you get behind the wheel. I'm giving you permission to be late to your holiday party - despite what you think, speeding will not get you there any faster. It's ok to admit that you are just too tired to drive to the mall for that one last gift. And I insist that you designate a driver to safely take you and your loved ones home from any festivities that involve alcohol consumption.
Talk to your drivers. Feel free to share this blog with them. Remind them how important their safety is to your business - and to their family and friends at home. Have a safe and joyous holiday season.
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