Old Main has a message for Penn State employees:
Hang up and drive.
The university announced Wednesday that employees are no longer allowed to talk on handheld cell phones while driving on Penn State business.
They also are not allowed to text-message — or do just about anything else with a mobile device — when they get behind the wheel for work purposes.
The rule applies regardless of whether workers are driving their own cars or university-owned vehicles, Penn State reported. Drivers are allowed to talk on the phone only if they use hands-free devices.
Spokesman Reidar Jensen called the move a proactive response to a national problem.
‘This policy is simply a common-sense way for us to remind employees to keep their eyes and minds focused on the road when they drive,’ Jensen said.
He said any punishments for policy violations would be handled on a case-by-case basis and be considered personnel matters. The new policy goes into effect immediately.
Jensen said the concept came from a focus group made up of Penn State faculty members, staff members and Commonwealth Campus representatives. It gained support and approval from the university’s Safety Council and the President’s Council, he said.
In announcing the policy on Penn State Live, Penn State indicated it supports ‘measures to minimize distractions of all kinds while driving.’ It cited U.S. Department of Transportation research, which shows that nearly 6,000 people were killed and 500,000 were hurt in 2008 in crashes related to distracted driving.
‘Employees on university business and students and volunteers driving a university-provided vehicle should pull off the roadway to a safe location and park the vehicle to send or receive messages, or simply ignore incoming communications until the end of the trip,’ the university announcement reads.
Penn State’s fleet counts about 400 vehicles statewide, Jensen said.
Pennsylvania law does not ban texting or talking on the phone while driving, though the City of Philadelphia has imposed such restrictions for drivers there. Six states, including New Jersey, have banned all drivers from using handheld phone devices while driving.
