September 11, 2018

Safe driving is personal to us at Texas Mutual. Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of workplace accidents and fatalities. We know that when we ask our policyholders to be safe on the road, we must uphold the same commitment with our own employees. Guided by our CEO Rich Gergasko, our company has worked hard to shift our culture from a constant connectivity environment to one that allows employees to safely disconnect if they are behind the wheel.

Our safe driving commitment was recently recognized by the National Safety Council, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, in its Texas Employer Traffic Safety Awards. Texas Mutual was one of 10 companies awarded for demonstrating the highest standard of traffic and driving safety.

We are proud of this recognition and congratulate all the honorees for leading the safe driving effort, including two of our own policyholders: Bullero Trucking LLC in Odessa and Star Shuttle & Charter in San Antonio. Read more about the award and this year's recipients.

Our mission is driven with one goal in mind: to build a stronger, safer Texas. We know that mission starts with making our employees part of the solution.

See our commitment in action:

• Putting the brakes on distracted driving
  Our CEO Rich Gergasko took a stand against distracted driving and implemented a companywide phone-free while driving policy. It's our way to keep our employees safe, influence their driving behavior while at work or on their personal time and lead our communities to safer roads in Texas.
• Technology helps bring safe driving habits to Texas MutualTexas Mutual implemented in-vehicle monitoring systems in its fleet vehicles to improve safe driving habits. Since implementing, the company saw a 61 percent decrease in preventable accidents. See our coverage about the program and how it made a difference for our own employees.
• Apps that can help you be a safer driverWhile phones are huge source of distraction for drivers, you can also use it to your benefit. To help our employees and policyholders stay safe on the road, we shared four free apps that help prevent distracted driving.
• "Your call. Their Lives."
  Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of workplace accidents and fatalities. Our most recent campaign shows the dangers of distracted driving and shows our commitment to phone-free driving.
• Sixty seconds to safe driving videosOur six-part safe driving series examines the major causes of accidents and how to avoid them. One-minute episodes cover distracted driving, speeding, road rage, seatbelt use and driving fatigue. It is available in English and with Spanish subtitles.

We encourage all businesses across Texas to join us by putting the phone away while driving by embracing a phone-free while driving policy. If you're ready to join us in making the roads in Texas safer, here's a sample company distracted driving policy to help you get started.

For more resources, visit our safety resource center by logging into texasmutual.com.