Driving while distracted or without a safety belt could be hazardous to your health.

The two factors are the No. 1 cause of on-the-job deaths, both nationally and in Michigan. The Michigan Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) is trying to raise awareness about those factors during Drive Safely Work Week, which starts Monday and runs through Sept. 14.

The program is in its sixth year and was started by the network’s national office to help businesses promote positive changes in their employees’ driving habits.

“Anything from changing the radio station, reaching for a briefcase or map of where you’re going can be potentially dangerous because people aren’t focusing on what’s on the road,” said Anne Readett, a public information specialist for the Office of Highway Safety Planning.

The Michigan Network of Employers for Traffic Safety sent nearly 500 businesses throughout Michigan a series of articles in newsletters to promote the campaign, as well as specially designed kits to inform the businesses about Drive Safely Work Week, said Dan Vartanian, Michigan NETS coordinator.

There is not yet statistical evidence to indicate the program is reducing car accidents, but Vartanian believes drivers are getting the message.

“It’s too early to know,” he said. “But do we think we’re making a difference? The answer would be yes. The feedback we’ve received has indicated that the word is getting out.”

But the network’s national office of NETS estimates distracted driving is a factor in 25 to 50 percent of traffic accidents.

There are many activities defined as distracted driving, which prevent drivers from focusing all their attention on the road. These include eating food while driving, talking on a cell phone and adjusting the radio.

“If you have a cell phone, use it for emergencies, and pull over to use it,” Vartanian said. “It doesn’t take a Harvard graduate to realize that if you’re talking on your phone and drifting off the road, it’s dangerous behavior.”

Distracted driving is not isolated to any particular area either, Readett said .

“It happens all the time for whatever reason,” she said. “It can be as simple as perhaps you had a really busy day at work and you leave the office thinking about all the things you have to do the next day and you’re not paying attention because all these things are running through your head.”

However, distracted driving and remembering to buckle up are not large problems for drivers or police officers in the Lansing area, said Capt. Juli Liebler of the East Lansing Police Department.

“I don’t think that we’ve seen a tremendous problem with distracted drivers,” she said. “But obviously with the increase in technology and cell phones, it is a bigger issue.”

Liebler also agreed that being completely focused on the road is an issue East Lansing police officers readily support.

“We always encourage drivers to pull over if they need to make or answer cell phone calls,” she said. “We always try to enforce safety belt laws with good compliance with people who live and visit here.”