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Why did our survey results garner so much attention? This update to our landmark May 2011 corporate attitudes survey found that companies are increasingly concerned about employee cell phone use while driving. The number of companies who have cell phone use policies in place has risen 29% in the past year, from 62% to 80%. And 62% more companies report making an effort to enforce their cell phone use policies this year. Additionally, over a quarter of companies say they plan to evaluate technology solutions to distracted driving within the next twelve months!

Click through this summary of our survey results, then download a free copy of the complete analysis!

Read the full Politico column here or download the results of our new survey for yourself!

As TechJournal notes, however, distracted driving due to cell phone use behind the wheel “isn’t just a problem with commercial drivers” – but one that challenges all corporate fleet operators.

Read the full TechJournal article here or download the results of our 2nd annual distracted driving survey!

The panel’s answer? With a solution as complex as the problem it addresses – combining efforts from “regulators from federal and state government, auto makers [and] technology companies” to both educate drivers and mitigate distractions.

Read the full article here.

Herndon, VA – The number of commercial fleet operators that have adopted written policies pertaining to employee use of cell phones while driving on-the-job has increased 29% in the past year – from 62% to 80% – according to the second annual survey of more than 900 transportation and fleet professionals conducted by ZoomSafer.

Furthermore, the survey finds that the number of companies claiming to enforce their established cell phone use policies increased 62% in the past twelve months, from 53% in 2011 to 86% in 2012, a finding which suggests that commercial fleet operators are reacting to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) new rule prohibiting interstate truck and bus drivers from using hand-held mobile phones while driving.  Other important findings include:

• Efforts to enforce written cell phone use policies have increased: 86% of companies with a documented cell phone use policy now take steps to enforce their policy.  This represents a 62% increase from 2011, when only 53% reported making any effort to enforce compliance.

• Confidence in current enforcement methods plummeting:  Although more companies are taking steps to enforce written cell phone use policies – confidence in current enforcement methods is dropping.  Only 26% are “very confident” that current enforcement methods are sufficient to modify driver behavior.

• Interest in cell phone compliance technology continues to grow:  80% of respondents say that managing driver compliance with cell phone use policies is “more important” or “equally important” when compared to monitoring hard braking, rapid acceleration, and speeding.  Further, 26% of respondents report their companies plan to evaluate phone-based software, cell phone use analytics or in-vehicle cameras within the next twelve months to help manage compliance with documented policies.

“The year-over-year results of our survey show that fleet operators increasingly recognize the serious risks associated with employee use of mobile phones while driving,” said ZoomSafer CEO Matt Howard.  “Further, the survey results suggest that employers will to do more than adopt written policies- they will also begin to evaluate technology solutions to measure and manage compliance with cell phone use policies.”

Results were collected online from over 900 corporate professionals via emails, newsletters, and websites. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 4% with a confidence of 90%. To download the full survey analysis, please visit: http://zoomsafer.com/2012-distracted-driving-survey-results.

About ZoomSafer

ZoomSafer is a leading provider of enterprise software to prevent distracted driving. ZoomSafer’s FleetSafer® solutions enable employers to measure, manage and enforce cell phone usage policies to reduce crashes, risk, liability and expense.  For more information, please visit www.zoomsafer.com

HERNDON, VA – ZoomSafer announced today that is has been named a winner of the 2012 MobileTrax Mobility Awards, receiving the award for achievements in “Preventing Texting While Driving,” in the Mobile Services category. These are ZoomSafer’s second consecutive nomination and win; the company also won the Preventing Texting While Driving Mobility Award in 2011.

MobileTrax is a leading market research firm that focuses on the mobile and wireless market. Awarded annually for over fifteen years, the 2012 Mobility Awards were selected by 37 mobile and wireless industry-leading press and analysts and recognize the best mobile computing and wireless data communications products and services introduced to the market during the past year.

“We are deeply honored to receive the prestigious MobileTrax Mobility Award for a second year,” said ZoomSafer CEO Matt Howard. “Employee use of mobile devices while driving creates serious risk and liability for corporate fleet operators, and this award highlights the need for innovative solutions that promote safe and legal use of mobile devices while driving.”

“For the past sixteen years, the Mobility Awards have honored the mobile and wireless industry for the hard work done to provide their customers with unique, innovative products and services,” said J. Gerry Purdy, Ph.D., Principal Analyst with MobileTrax LLC.  “ZoomSafer was selected for this year’s Preventing Texting While Driving Mobility Award in recognition of its leadership in the burgeoning industry of software to prevent distracted driving.”

In conjunction with its win, ZoomSafer invites corporate fleet operators to test-drive its award-winning enterprise distracted driving software for themselves in a 30-day, 100-driver FleetSafer Vision cell phone safety audit. To sign-up for a FleetSafer Vision safety audit of your fleet, visit http://zoomsafer.com/vision-audit.

About ZoomSafer

ZoomSafer is a leading provider of enterprise software to prevent distracted driving. FleetSafer® solutions enable employers to measure, manage and enforce cell phone usage policies to reduce crashes, risk, liability and expense. For more information, please visit www.zoomsafer.com.

The profile outlines how B&G sought to “establish a safer working environment” by managing how employees use their mobile phones while driving. “One of the first steps the company did was to create a company policy on cellphone use while driving…But just like with any policy, it was hard to enforce,” reads the piece. In order to proactively promote safe and legal use of mobile phones while driving, B&G implemented FleetSafer Mobile, ZoomSafer’s patented distracted driving software for BlackBerry and Android smartphones.

Constructech predicts this is the new reality for construction companies:

“Don’t be surprised to see similar types of policies being implemented across the construction industry. For a market that has historically had very high work-related injuries rates, due in part to the very nature of the work in general, there doesn;t need to be another reason to present danger in the path of employees via something like texting. While it might be difficult to enforce such policies, technology can provide some assistance in helping you create a safer environment.”

BF‘s first piece highlighted the fact that SafeDial allows FMCSA-regulated fleets “to ensure that employee drivers’ cell phone usage is fully compatible with FMCSA regulations.” And its second emphasized that the new partnership between ZoomSafer and DriveWyze allows fleets to foster FMCSA compliance – without impacting DriveWyze toll payment feautres.

Read the stories on product and partnership at BusinessFleet.com.

Fairfax, VA – April 3, 2012 -Three Pillar Global, a product development partner creating software that accelerates business value, today announced that the nation’s roads are safer thanks to its ongoing role as ZoomSafer’s development and integration partner. Three Pillar Global’s management and engineering teams are engaged with ZoomSafer to implement and deploy FleetSafer® Mobile software, ZoomSafer’s flagship product.

Founded in January 2009, ZoomSafer is the leading provider of innovative software to promote safe and legal use of mobile phones while driving. In its 2011 Cool Vendors report, Gartner states, “Any organizations with mobile workforces frequently driving cars for work and using mobile devices to perform their work should look at ZoomSafer.” FleetSafer Mobile combines an active client for BlackBerry® smartphones and Android™ smartphones and tablets with a management portal to actively enforce employee cell phone use policies. Unlike other mobile products that require an advanced user interface and manual activation, FleetSafer Mobile is award-winning and patented enterprise-class software that automatically eliminates texting, emailing and browsing while driving.

“We selected Three Pillar Global as our partner because of their blend of product lifecycle management best practices with deep mobile technology expertise,” said ZoomSafer COO Mike Costello. “While other organizations limit their scope to product development, Three Pillar Global has taken the unique next step of building a business focus around delivering game-changing mobile product solutions.”

Three Pillar Global is working closely with ZoomSafer on both the development of the FleetSafer Mobile product and its integration with the assets of strategic business partners. For the former, Three Pillar Global implemented an agile-based development and test process, supporting key technologies such as GPS and Bluetooth®, along with push services, while delivering the first full-production versions for Android tablets and BlackBerry 7. For the latter, Three Pillar Global designed and executed the business and enterprise-class technology integrations necessary to incorporate FleetSafer Mobile into the mobile presence of several large telematics vendors.

“Balancing corporate policies, user safety, and user satisfaction in a heterogeneous device and network environment is a challenge for ZoomSafer. The product must integrate a variety of external and internal data sources such as on-board vehicle information devices, control low-level device capabilities, and report on usage patterns by applying rich analytics on telematics and Telco billing data while minimizing how it impacts device usability,” said Ken Quaglio, COO of Three Pillar Global. “Our objective is to help ZoomSafer navigate these challenges while delivering an effective, elegant product that delivers tangible business value to their customers.”

About ZoomSafer

ZoomSafer is a leading provider of enterprise software to prevent distracted driving. FleetSafer® solutions enable employers to measure, manage, and enforce cell phone usage policies to reduce crashes, risk, liability, and expense. For more information, please visit www.zoomsafer.com.

About Three Pillar Global

Three Pillar Global builds software products for businesses, enabling them to quickly turn ideas into value. We do this through our disciplined approach to innovation and our deep expertise in disruptive technologies, such as mobile and big data. Through a collaborative and fully-integrated experience, clients have access to a global network of highly-talented, dedicated professionals. www.threepillarglobal.com.

Originally published by Three Pillar Global.

Over 30 states have laws restricting cell phone use, and the federal government recently banned interstate commercial drivers from using hand-held mobile phones behind the wheel. Notes Kilbourne, “employer[s] can be found vicariously liable” if a distracted employee causes a serious crash – so employers need to take proactive steps to promote safe and legal use of mobile phones while driving. As Matt explained in his interview, “Laws and regulations are easy, but they don’t change behavior. Technology does change behavior.”

Read part one and part two of Chris Kilbourne’s distracted driving articles.