I was listening to the investigation of a driving complaint unfold the other day.
A member of the public had complained about the way a business vehicle was being driven, and the constable had asked the dispatcher to inquire about the driver with the business.
“He’s a pretty bad driver,” the dispatcher relayed from the business owner. “He should probably get a ticket.”
My first reaction on hearing this was if that’s the case, why was the business owner allowing the employee to drive? He clearly knew that his employee was either lacking in driving skill or had personal difficulties with the driving rules.
Why take the risk? The employer could be held liable both criminally and civilly if this employee were to cause a collision.
Anyone who employs a driver, large business or small, should have a safe driving policy in effect, which employees must signify that they are aware of and are expected to adhere to at all times while operating a business vehicle, whether for work purposes or not.
Further, this policy should be even more comprehensive if the employee uses a personal vehicle for work purposes.
A safe driving policy will protect the employee as well. It can spell out when a vehicle is unsafe for work, how it is to be reported, who is expected to repair it and when an employee may acceptably refuse to operate the vehicle.
Risk management is good business.
For more information on this topic, visit www.drivesmartbc.ca. Questions or comments are welcome by e-mail to comments@drivesmartbc.ca. Tim Schewe is a retired RCMP constable with many years of traffic law enforcement experience. His column appears Friday.
