Every year OHS supports the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety’s yearly traffic safety campaign, Drive Safely to Work Week. This year, join us in getting Back to Basics. Simply put, it means focusing on driving the car instead of multi-tasking.  Remember when you were a young driver, and it took all of your senses to drive:  both hands on the wheel, both eyes on the road, mind completely on the task of driving? NETS would like us to remember experience does not necessarily make a better driver.

What you need to know

Many employees commute in the first state.  The average commute time for Delawareans is 24.3 minutes, which is nearly 50 minutes on the road each work day.  Here are some interesting facts that you should know:

• 900,000 people live in the state of Delaware; of those, 653,141 are licensed drivers.
• On average, 80% of workers who commute drive alone.
• In 2011, there were 5,204 personal injury crashes and 97 fatal crashes.
• In the same year, 1 out of every 25 licensed drivers was involved in a traffic crash.

What you can do

Since the average person spends a significant amount of time driving to and from work, NETS would like to remind each of us to remember the keys of safe driving:

• Always buckle up. It only takes a few seconds to do the one thing that will keep you safest in the event of a crash.
• Drive with a clear head. Drowsy driving can be as dangerous as impaired driving.
• Avoid distractions. Distractions come in many forms, eliminate as many of them as possible.
• Know the basics of parking and backing. Many crashes can be avoided by simply by being aware of blind spots.
• Review the fundamentals. Go back to the basics of safe driving, including:  mirror placement, scanning the environment around your vehicle, and signaling your intentions.

For more information on DSWW and to get a free information kit, go to www.trafficsafety.org.

Drive Safe.  Arrive Alive DE.

This message is brought to you by the Office of Highway Safety, who asks you to drive safely at all times.  For more information on this and other traffic safety programs, go to www.ohs.delaware.gov.

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