Be smart when driving with your smart phone

A recent CareerBuilder survey found that 54 percent of people check their smart phones while driving.

In a University of Utah study of driving and talking on the phone, only 2.5 percent of test subjects were able to do both safely. For the other 97.5 percent, the ability to hit the brakes quickly was slowed by 20 percent, and the tendency to drive too slowly to keep up with traffic rose by 30 percent.

CareerBuilder.com offers these tips:

• Turn off your phone when driving. Talking on the phone or texting at the wheel is illegal in many states, as well as dangerous to you, your passengers, and other drivers. Pull over if you need to talk.
• Set priorities. Part of the problem comes from the current trend toward being accessible outside the workplace. Discuss the situation with your employer (and your family) so everyone understands that you can’t always be connected.
• Have a backup. If you anticipate being needed outside the office, leave an out-of-office message on your voicemail, and provide contact information for colleagues who can assist callers in your absence. That way, urgent calls can be taken care of even if you don’t answer the phone.