Driving for work has quietly become a dangerous part of many Americans’ jobs. Nearly 37% of workplace deaths now come from transportation incidents, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For employees who travel between clients or job sites, or make deliveries, every mile carries real danger — yet these tasks are not protected under OSHA rules.
At this point, it’s clear that crashes can’t simply be chalked up to driver error. Employers must step up with clear safety protocols and protections to keep workers safe behind the wheel.
The Road as an Unregulated Workplace
Workplace risks vary from one job to another, but when driving is involved, even a brief lapse in judgment can have irreversible consequences. A tragedy in Northern California illustrates how quickly routine work travel can turn deadly. A man driving a company-owned vehicle crossed a double yellow line while on the job and collided with another car.
The crash killed a 13-year-old girl, and the driver later pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Because he was operating the vehicle within the scope of his employment, questions about the employer’s responsibility quickly became part of the legal process.
Situations like this show why work-related driving cannot be treated as a personal matter once employees leave the office. When companies send workers onto public roads to carry out their duties, the risks — and the potential consequences — extend beyond the driver.
Because the region’s economy relies on employees moving across communities throughout the day, many people in North County San Diego drive for work, traveling between job sites, client meetings and service calls. Workers often spend hours on the road moving between cities such as San Marcos, Vista, Carlsbad and Oceanside. For some — especially sales representatives and field employees — time on Interstate 5 or Highway 78 can easily exceed the hours they spend at a desk.
Yet the road remains one of the least monitored workplaces. Factories, warehouses and construction sites are subject to detailed safety standards and oversight. By contrast, work performed on public roads often falls outside the same structured protections. Driving has become such a routine skill that the workplace risks associated with it are frequently overlooked.
The Law Holds Employers Accountable
When a crash happens, the explanation often stops with the driver. Fatigue, tight schedules, heavy workloads and the pressure to reach clients or job sites on time rarely enter the discussion, even though these conditions are often created by the demands of the job itself. In many cases, employees drive company vehicles, follow work schedules and complete tasks that directly serve the employer’s business.
This is where the legal concept of “course and scope of employment” becomes important. Simply put, when an employee is performing duties for their employer — delivering goods, visiting clients or traveling between job sites — the activity is considered part of the job. Because the work is done for the benefit of the company, the law recognizes that responsibility may extend beyond the individual driver.
When these crashes lead to legal action, litigation can uncover broader problems such as unrealistic delivery schedules, weak safety policies or poor fleet management. In that sense, accountability does more than resolve a single case — it highlights the need for safer practices in work-related driving.
Building a proactive safety culture is not complicated, but it does require commitment. Companies that rely on employees to drive should treat the road with the same seriousness they apply to any other workplace. That can start with group meetings, road safety training and defensive driving protocols, along with setting realistic schedules and regular breaks as part of an effective fatigue management process.
Preventive measures protect employees, reduce liability and make the roads safer for everyone. Many fleets already use telematics or vehicle monitoring tools that flag risky patterns — speeding, harsh braking or excessive driving hours. Regular risk assessments can also help companies understand how work schedules, delivery pressures or long hours behind the wheel affect driver safety.
Driving is part of the job for millions of workers in the United States. Yet safety rules often disappear once employees start driving. When companies depend on employees to be on the road to serve clients and generate profit, safety cannot be treated as a personal matter left only to the driver. If the road has become one of America’s most common workplaces, it should not remain one of its most dangerous.
Cerelia Wharton submitted this op-ed on behalf of O’Brien & Zehnder Law Firm.
