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Company culture a loophole in distracted driving policies

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Company culture can be one of the biggest roadblocks in keeping workers who drive off their cellphones, according to experts.

Constant contact with employees over text messaging or emails, both accessible on mobile devices, is part of the challenge, said Michael Davis, Houston-based senior vice president and risk control leader for Lockton Cos. L.L.C.

“It’s a cultural problem created by the instantaneous communication,” he said.

“You see an email and you think you have to respond in five minutes, (and) you don’t.” Companies should encourage employees to set specific times of day to respond to messages and emails and to set the expectation that if a worker is on the road, he or she will not respond immediately, Mr. Davis said.

The only way to change the culture is for companies to take a “hard stance” on contacting employees who are mobile, said Nancy Bendickson, Bloomington, Minnesota-based senior consultant, casualty risk control, for Aon Risk Solutions.

“We have to think of ways to eliminate the use of technology in these instances,” she said.

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