Georgia Injury Law Blog
As Atlanta car accident attorneys, we believe minimizing texting or talking on the cell phone while driving requires cooperation not just from individual motorists, but also from society at large. To avoid as many car accidents as possible, employers have a big role to play in ensuring that their employees refrain from using a cell phone while driving. A new survey by the National Safety Council finds that one out of every five Fortune 500 companies has a policy in place that prevents employees from using cell phones while driving. These policies have a significant impact in decreasing the number of distracted driving auto accidents.
There have been increasing signs that more and more employers are taking the need for such workplace policies seriously. Out of the companies that responded to the survey, more than 50% had implemented such safety policies since 2008.
It was the federal administration which kick started the initiative to encourage employers to implement anti-distracted driving policies in the workplace. In 2009, the Obama administration announced a ban on cell phone use while driving for federal employees while driving government-issued vehicles, and using government-issued cell phones. Since then, private employers have followed suit, encouraging employees to switch off their cell phones while driving. Encouraging employers to implement such policies has become more important since the economy began sinking. Employees now are under more pressure than ever to stay constantly in touch with the office, even while driving.
However, employers who expect their employees to be in touch with the office even while they’re driving, could face severe liability issues if the employee gets involved in an auto accident. Around the country, more people are dragging employers to court when they are involved in accidents caused by distracted motorists.