Office Life in the Fast Lane Leads to Litigation, Company Bans
As drivers increasingly multitask by doing office work behind the wheel–talking on cell phones, text-messaging, even reading or working on a laptop computer–some are becoming defendants in tort litigation.
Meanwhile, as the risks of such distracted driving are becoming increasingly well-known and documented by research, some companies are making it a rule that employees can’t work on their phones while they are driving, even if it isn’t against the law to do so, reports the New York Times in a lengthy article.
Among them is Exxon Mobil, which restricted some employees in a 2004 pilot project and then imposed a ban on all workers. Michael Henderek, who at the time was the company’s safety executive, tells the newspaper that the high percentage of engineers working there creates a respect for research data and says the company also was concerned about the potential for damage from its fuel trucks.
“To not act was irresponsible,” he tells the newspaper. “The risk to employees was much greater than any marginal benefit of the productivity you get.”
Related coverage:
New York Times: “Texting While Driving Banned for Federal Workers”
