Dive Brief:

• The dangers of using a cell phone while driving has been well-documented, but contractors often do it anyway as they drive from job to job. A new study points out the dangers of using any kind of device that takes drivers eyes off the road.
• Research from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute says that returning phone calls is likely to increase accidents, too, because taking eyes off the road to look for a phone, look up a contact and dial a number made an accident three times more likely.
• The research also said that even vehicle-integrated phones, that requires taking the driver's eyes off the road, still increased accident risk.

Dive Insight:

This kind of research results in hard-to-take advice. Using driving time to communicate with clients or colleagues or suppliers has been a huge innovation in the construction industry, so a study that points out the downside of something useful might be a bitter pill to swallow.