Protecting Your People. And Your Business. It’s day 4 of Drive Safely Work Week™ and today’s focus is on distracted driving.
Next to home, there is no better place to make an effort to instill core safety values than in the workplace. If you have company drivers, you have most likely dialed in on the dangers of mobile device use while driving and the potential liability of your driver being the cause of a distracted-driving crash.
But did you know that generally speaking, any employee is acting within the scope of employment if his or her conduct benefits the employer—in any way?
Courts have routinely allowed claims against employers to proceed in court, even when a crash occurred when employees were:
- Driving after normal business hours
- On the way to a personal event
- Sightseeing on a business trip
- Operating a personal vehicle and/or using a personal mobile device
Additionally, employees who do the following while driving put their safety, the safety of other road users and the employer’s bottom line at risk—even if on a personal device and driving a personal vehicle:
- Participate in conference calls
- Talk by phone with managers or coworkers
- Read or respond to work-related email
- Conduct any type of business