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Driver
Training:
Distracted Driving:
Is Your Organization Steering Clear of Liability Risks?
Thursday,
May 19, 2005
2:00 PM Eastern Time
It's
after hours and your employee is driving down the
road talking on her cell phone to a client. She hits
what she thinks is a deer but does not stop. Tragically,
it was not a deer, but a 15 year- old girl, who died.
Phone records and your employee's time sheets show
that she was on her phone at the time of the accident.
Your employee is charged with felony hit and run and
your firm is named in a $30 million wrongful death
action. (Excerpt taken from “Cell Phones:
Are Your Employees Driving Distracted and Are You
Liable?” by Patricia Butler.
How can you prevent this from happening to your company?
Patricia Butler, senior counsel at Ford & Harrison
LLP, a national labor and employment law firm that
represents employers exclusively gives this advice:
Employers should develop a company policy that addresses
distracted driving that clearly emphasizes safety
first.
Learn
how you can steer clear of liability risks caused
by distracted driving and participate in the NETS
e-Seminar “Distracted Driving: Is Your Organization
Steering Clear of Liability Risks?” featuring
Patricia Butler and Kathy Konicki, Director of Associate
Safety for Nationwide Insurance.
Are
your employees driving distracted while on company
business and is your organization liable? When it
comes to driver distraction, we’ve come a long
way from just playing the car stereo. In today’s
hectic workday pace, it is a common practice for employees
to eat meals in their cars, check their e-mail, conduct
business on their cell phones while driving, consult
a map or their schedules or engage in other activities
that divert their attention from the driving task.
Risk management practices have not kept pace with
the rapid influx of in-vehicle technologies and driver
distractions, fueling safety and liability concerns
among our nation’s businesses. With one-quarter
of all workplace fatalities the result of motor vehicle
crashes, how is your organization promoting safe driving
and steering clear of liability risks?
What You Can Expect to Learn in this e-Seminar
- Current
research on distracted driving
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The legal theories that make employers liable for
the negligence of their employees whiled driving
for work purposes or while driving company vehicles
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Recent lawsuits are showing that victims of traffic
crashes go after the company that employees the
driver
- Learn
what can happen if a company is not properly covered
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What steps can a prudent employer implement to reduce
their risk?
Speakers will be available immediately following the
e-seminar presentation to respond to questions from
participants.
Lead Presenter & Moderator
Kathy
Konicki is the Director of Associate Safety for Nationwide
Insurance, one of the largest multiple-line insurers
in the United States. She joined Nationwide, which
is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, in 1998. In her
capacity as Director of Safety, Konicki works closely
with Nationwide’s Fleet Administration and Risk
Management offices to control the potential liabilities
associated with approximately 5,800 company drivers.
Konicki designed and implemented a fleet safety program
for Nationwide’s employee drivers that have
significantly reduced the human and financial consequences
of traffic crashes. She continues to design and implement
refinements to Nationwide programs that encourage
all employees to adopt safe driving habits. Prior
to joining Nationwide, Konicki served as the president
of her own environmental, health and safety consulting
business, Meridian Associates, Inc. Before that, she
served as vice president for a large, multinational
engineering and consulting firm. She has a total of
over 25 years of experience in the environmental,
health and safety arena. Konicki is the Chair of the
NETS National Board of Directors.
Featured
Presenter
Patricia
Butler is senior counsel at Ford and Harrison LLP
in Atlanta, Georgia, a national labor and employment
law firm that represents employers exclusively. Butler
received her B.A. from Emory University in 1982 and
her J.D. from the University of Florida in 1985. She
is admitted to practice in both Georgia and Florida.
She is an employment discrimination litigator with
experience handling race, age, disability and sex
discrimination cases, particularly sexual harassment.
Additionally, Butler spends much of her time advising
clients on the interaction and interrelationship between
and among the Americans with Disabilities Act, the
Family and Medical Leave Act, and state worker's compensation
laws. She has conducted numerous management training
programs in the area of avoiding litigation and complying
with Title VII and affirmative action requirements.
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Drive
Safely Work Week 2005