Safety in the driver's seat: a dose of driving instruction can help employees steer clear of costly traffic accidents

HR Magazine, Feb, 2004 by Carolyn Hirschman

The highest risk of accidental death that workers encounter every day is the one that they face if they drive on the job or to and from work: a fatal traffic accident.

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of fatal work injuries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2002, the latest year for which figures are available, 1,372 worker fatalities--or about one-fourth of the 5,524 total--were caused by traffic accidents. The traffic toll for workers was substantially higher than the 873 deaths caused by contact with objects or equipment, or the 840 fatalities attributed to workplace violence.

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Although both total worker fatalities and total deaths caused by traffic accidents have declined slightly in recent years, safety experts say there's plenty of room for improvement. It's in employers' interests, they add, to try to enhance their workers' driving skills through safety-conscious fleet policies and programs, including driver training.

High Costs of Inaction

Such training, often a combination of classroom education and behind-the-wheel practice, can help employees become safer drivers, experts say, and thus reduce employers' risk of getting sued for traffic accidents caused by their employees.

"Companies without traffic safety programs and policies are hugely liable," says Kathryn Lusby-Treber, executive director of the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), a Vienna, Va.-based employer group that promotes safe-driving practices.

Such programs may help protect employers from law-suits under the emerging legal doctrine of "negligent entrustment," which is generating high-dollar awards and settlements. Negligent entrustment refers to an employer's liability for injuries or property damage resulting from an employee's business use of a vehicle when the employer knew--or should have known--that the employee was unfit to drive.

It's worthwhile to check the motor vehicle records of all prospective hires and current employees whose jobs require that they drive.

Lusby-Treber and other traffic safety experts note that employers pay steep prices for motor vehicle accidents involving their employees--more than $50 billion per year, some studies show. Beyond the direct costs of vehicle repair, lost work time, medical bills and workers' compensation and disability claims are indirect costs such as lower productivity, temporary replacements and increases in automobile insurance premiums.

Workers' comp claims for injuries related to motor vehicle accidents averaged $22,200 in the 2000-2001 period, compared with $13,719 for all workers' comp claims, according to an analysis by the National Council on Compensation Insurance. The costs include medical insurance and workers' comp costs, rehabilitation expenses, lost productivity and temporary replacements.

To emphasize the importance of workers driving safely, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced last October an alliance with NETS "to provide employers of all sizes with access to information and resources" on traffic safety.

OSHA said the resources will be designed to help employers "create effective workplace traffic safety programs, develop and disseminate materials that promote safe driving practices, and work on electronic assistance tools for workplace traffic safety programs, including fleet safety programs."

At a minimum, organizations should develop a vehicle policy that sets clear expectations of employees. (For more on such initiatives, see "Detail Your Auto Policy," HR Magazine, September 2002.)

Getting Under Way

Doing nothing to improve workers' driving skills is not an option for employers because it leaves them vulnerable to legal action, safety experts say.

Employers can choose from a variety of options for traffic-safety education, from low-cost CD-ROMs and Internet-based information to high-end customized programs and one-on-one training. The choice depends on the company's goals and budget.

Some companies, especially large ones with many employees who drive in their work, provide classroom and behind-the-wheel training offered by organizations such as the National Safety Council, the American Automobile Association (AAA), independent safety consultants and fleet management firms. Instructors are often retired police officers and usually possess a certificate issued by AAA, the Safety Council or a similar organization. There is no standard certification for instructors, however, and their experience levels vary.

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In deciding who should receive training, employers might choose employees who do the most driving, or those who have the most accidents or moving violations. Some companies train everyone who drives on the job, including salespeople, delivery drivers and utility-truck drivers. Other employers focus on new hires.

In Newport News, Va., the Waterworks Department's new employees take a self-paced course on CD-ROM, then head for the road with an evaluator to show what they've learned, says Milton Cummings, the department's safety and training coordinator. "If we see some technique to focus on, we discuss that" during the hour-and-a-half drive on city streets and highways, he says.