Driving Safety

Anyone who drives any kind of vehicle is aware that hazards exist and that to arrive safely at a destination requires attention and the observance of a well-established set or regulations based on injury and incident prevention. Driving safety is primarily regulated by the DMV and the U.S.Department of Transportation. Cal-OSHA does not usually get involved in regulating drivers, but, they will get involved if there’s a serious accident or death that is work-related. This would not only include any accident involving a driver, but also one involving any worker working on a roadway project, e.g., a flagger. In this case, the vehicle and or the project is considered the workplace. In addition to Cal-OSHA, several other regulatory organizations may get involved at this point and all can issue citations.

Employers still have a responsibility and an expectation to manage employees who drive for the company on company time. Not only from a safety aspect, but also from risk management and loss control. There are programs to assist an employer in establishing an effective Driver Safety Program. The level of management usually depends on the type of vehicle being driven and the amount of driving required. Employees who drive commercial vehicles or are part of a company’s fleet are held to a higher standard and have more regulatory enforcement than a casual driver using their own vehicle to run an errand.

Employees are expected to follow the rules, follow defensive driving practices, and avoid situations that can cause distraction leading to an incident, to include the use of cell phones while driving, fatigue, eating, drinking, or impairments such as with alcohol or drugs. Some employers include specialized defensive driving training in their program to provide drivers with the best skills to avoid an incident that results in any kind of a loss: personal liability or property damage.

To get more information on the applicability of this program for a specific County operation please contact the corresponding departmental Safety Coordinator.

For further information on specific regulatory guidelines please refer to the link(s) below:

Road Safety Topics (National Safety Council)

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Safe Driver Programs