A Travelers Insurance survey reveals many drivers still feel pressure to stay connected for work even while navigating busy holiday traffic
June 22, 2026
Work-related distractions are common behind the wheel: A Travelers survey found many drivers are still checking emails, answering calls, and using phones for work while driving, even during busy holiday travel periods.
Pressure to stay always on is a major risk factor: Nearly 6 in 10 employed drivers feel compelled to respond to work calls immediately, and many say workplace culture and constant notifications contribute to unsafe driving behaviors.
Experts say prevention starts with both employers and drivers: Travelers Michael Fackler emphasizes clearer company expectations, do not disturb while driving tools, and simple habits like putting phones out of reach and planning ahead before hitting the road.
As Americans hit the road for summer holidays like the Fourth of July, traffic isnt the only thing competing for drivers attention. New data from Travelers highlights a growing and often overlooked issue: work-related distractions behind the wheel.
According to the survey, nearly half of employed drivers admit to checking emails or texts while driving, and more than half say they actively use their phones on the road. Even more striking, almost six in 10 say they feel pressured to answer work calls while driving blurring the line between off the clock and on the road.
With AAA projecting tens of millions of people traveling by car during peak holiday weekends, experts warn that this kind of multitasking can have serious consequences. ConsumerAffairs spoke with Travelers transportation risk control expert Michael Fackler who explained that the data points to a persistent challenge for both drivers and employers: reducing the expectation to stay connected when attention should be fully on the road.
The rise of work-related distracted driving
Fackler explained that there are several factors that contribute to work-related distracted driving, including an always-on workplace culture, technology that blurs the line between the office and the road, and a misunderstanding of the personal risk associated with driving while distracted.
He shared some key insights from a March 2026 Travelers survey of 1,000 working, driving Americans:
67% of respondents reporting they can access work communications while behind the wheel, including work emails, calls and messaging platforms.
About four in 10 said that they frequently or sometimes answer a work call while driving. Nearly six in 10 said that they feel compelled to respond to a work call the moment it comes in.
Almost half indicated feeling a sense of urgency to respond to a work text or chat message.
28% of those who said that they engage with work while driving believe they can do it safely.
Fear of missing something important was cited by 27% of our respondents
26% said that hard-to-ignore notifications appearing on their vehicles screen are a contributing factor.
25% said that they engage without really thinking about it.
23% said the culprit is the workplace culture itself an environment that implicitly or explicitly demands an immediate response to work-related communications.
That dynamic makes holiday weekends like the Fourth of July a timely reminder, Fackler said. The potential for more drivers on the road means less margin for error, and the same work culture pressures our survey identified dont disappear because its a holiday.
Changing company culture
The survey findings point to a need for a change in company culture.
When leaders call or message employees who they know are on the road, it signals that immediate and constant availability is expected, regardless of what any policy may say, Fackler said. The most important thing that employers can do is make it clear that no call, text or email is worth a life.
The commitment to safety must start at the top, with managers modeling the behavior they want to see in their employees by waiting until appropriate times to communicate in general, and especially on holiday weekends. If there is an urgent reason to communicate, leaders must manage those communications carefully and make sure that an employee is safely parked before reaching out.
Preventing distracted driving
There are several technological tools available to help consumers prevent distracted driving. Here are Facklers top recommendations:
Telematics systems. For fleet environments, telematics systems are among the most practical tools available to employers today. These platforms can monitor driving behavior in real time, tracking metrics like phone use, harsh braking, speed and time behind the wheel. When that data feeds into a coaching program, it can meaningfully change driver behavior over time.
Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). This includes lane departure warnings, automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring. These tools provide an active safety layer that can help reduce the consequence of a momentary lapse in attention, though they are not substitutes for attentive driving.
Advanced phone features. For individual employees using personal vehicles for work travel, employers can encourage or require the use of built-in do not disturb while driving features, which are now standard on both iOS and Android mobile devices.
Staying safe on the road
Ahead of the holiday weekend, Fackler shared his best tips to minimize distracted driving and ensure drivers are safe on the roads.
The reality of holiday weekend travel is that you will share the road with drivers who are distracted some by work, some by personal communications, some by fatigue after long drives, Fackler said. The most important thing any driver can do is build in an extra margin: more following distance, lower speeds in heavy traffic, and heightened awareness at intersections and on-ramps, where conflicts are most common.
Here are some more tips:
Plan before you pull out. Set your GPS, set up your playlist and check traffic information before you start to drive. Once youre moving, those tasks become distractions. This is one of the most effective preparation habits and should be universal.
Put the phone somewhere that you cant reach it easily, or use your phones driving mode so notifications are automatically suppressed. Research suggests that simply knowing a notification is waiting creates a cognitive pull. Removing access to your phone eliminates the temptation to answer a call.
If you have passengers, ask them to help manage navigation and communications. A co-pilot arrangement is one of the most effective and underused tools available for safer driving.
If youre exhausted, dont try to push through. Fatigue impairs driving in ways that are comparable to alcohol impairment, and tiredness combined with the distraction of a buzzing phone compounds the risk. Stop, rest and resume when youre alert.
If you know someone is on the road, dont call or text them. Being the person on the other end of a distracted drivers phone is a risk to them we can all choose to avoid.
