Nearly 2/3 of U.S. roadway fatalities impact employers directly
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Nearly 2/3 of U.S. roadway fatalities impact employers directly

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NETS’ Drive Safely Work Week™ campaign kicks off today

VIENNA, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)— Nearly two-thirds of all people killed on U.S. roadways are members of the nation’s workforce, creating a significant human and economic toll on employers, according to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS).

That is why NETS today kicks off its national Drive Safely Work Week™ campaign. More than 2200 organizations representing approximately 23 million employees are poised to take part in the week that promotes safe-driving education and awareness for all employees and their families. This year’s campaign is recognized October 6-10.

The campaign’s theme is “Driving your safety culture home” and builds the case for executive leadership to adopt safe driving for all employees as a part of the corporate safety culture.  The campaign’s free employer tool kit provides low-cost tools and ideas to start, expand and sustain a road safety program, encouraging employers to go beyond business drivers and reach all employees with road safety education and outreach.

“This year’s Drive Safely Work Week™ campaign provides significant support for employers looking to build or bolster a strong safety culture,” said Joseph McKillips, NETS Chairman and Sr. Manager, Commercial Program Support, Global Environment, Health, and Safety for Abbott.  “Whether crashes happen on the job or off, employers bear a large portion of the human and economic cost.  This further highlights the value a workplace road safety program can have on employees and the general public”.

The 2014 DSWW free campaign materials provide steps to engage employees in road safety with a starting point focused on seat belts and mobile device use while driving. The campaign was developed by NETS, a partnership of private-sector companies and the federal government, using the expertise of NETS’ member companies. NETS members collectively represent a fleet of more than 600,000 vehicles that travel in excess of 11 billion miles globally each year.

The DSWW tool kit is available for download at no cost via the NETS website and provides easy-to-use Web-based resources that include workplace posters, activities, PowerPoint presentations, graphics and more. Materials are not dated and may be used at any time during the year to promote safe driving.

About DSWW

Drive Safely Work Week™ is a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of NETS and its member companies. The campaign is observed annually during the first full week of October. In recent years, an average of 3500 organizations have participated annually, representing 16.5 million employees per year. The 2014 DSWW toolkit may be downloaded at no cost via the NETS Website at www.trafficsafety.org.

About NETS

NETS is a 501(c) 3 organization, a partnership between the U.S. Federal government and the private sector. Board members include Abbott, AmeriFleet Transportation, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, The Coca-Cola Company, Hess Corp., Johnson & Johnson, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, Monsanto Company, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Group, Shell International Petroleum Company and UPS. In addition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health serve as federal liaisons to the board of directors.

Established in 1989, NETS is dedicated to improving the safety of employees, their families, and members of the communities in which they live and work by preventing traffic crashes that occur on-and-off the job.

NETS is a member of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, which provides guidance to the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 global initiative. NETS has sponsored DSWW annually since 1996. For more information on NETS, visit www.trafficsafety.org or contact jhanley@trafficsafety.org.

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