“Wearing a seat belt, saves lives, reduces injuries and is good for business, too.”
Good for business?
Excuse me?
We know that wearing a seat belt is the single most important way of saving our lives when involved in a car accident. However, new data is suggesting that seat belts are not just beneficial to our lives, but also to our employer.
It seems a bit strange, but according to trafficsafety.org, employers suffered a loss of $47.44 billion because of employees who were involved in car accidents. Those employees that were on-the-job when the accident occurred totaled $25.17 billion and those employees that were off-the-clock totaled $22.27 billion. Whether the employee is “on or off” the clock, it affects the employer as loss of work occurs—so much so that 1.628 million people didn’t go to work because they were injured in a car accident.
For a free legal consultation, call 404-214-2001
Furthermore, the driving behavior and patterns of employees greatly affect their employer as well. The number one “negative” behavior is speeding; costing employees $8.4 billion. The second worst behavior is distracted driving—ironic since many of us find ourselves texting or emailing our employers at all hours of the day. Distracted driving cost employers $8.2 billion as a result of those emails, texts and calls. The last two negative behaviors while driving were alcohol / DUI ($6 billion) and not wearing a seat belt ($4.9 billion).
So with more and more money being thrown out of the breakroom window, you would think that employers would be mandating some road safety program. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for the vast majority of American employers. Road safety programs not only provide safety courses to their employees, but they also provide incentives to those employees who don’t speed, text and drive, drive under the influence and neglect to wear a seat belt.
If efforts are made by both parties, lessons can be taught so that injuries can be avoided and money can be saved.
Good driving means good business.
For more information about this article, contact Kaine Law.
Call or text 404-214-2001 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
