Get Your Cell Phone & Electronic Device policy here!

November 3, 2009 on 1:21 pm | In Announcements | Comments Off

The Highway Traffic Act has been amended and Regulation 366/09 has been passed to clarify exemptions to the ban on cell phone and electronic device use in Ontario.

This new law took effect October 26^th however the police have said they will give motorists a period of grace until Feb. 1^st 2010 to focus on driver education.

Employers should make use of this time period to focus on the education of their workers by getting a policy in place for their employees. Don’t leave this task up to the police or the government.

They won’t do it!

The potential for vicarious liability by employers for any tragic circumstances arising out of a situation where their employee is driving while distracted by the use of any of the prohibited hand-held devices should be enough to cause every employer to act quickly to ban the use of such devices.

Such a policy cannot be overly simple as the KISS (keep it short and sweet) method would suggest. Consideration must not only be given to what is legally acceptable but also to what behavior is acceptable from the viewpoint of the corporate culture of the organization.

We have developed a basic policy for employers that can be adjusted to suit a variety of circumstances including enforcement and consequences for non-compliance.

We can be of assistance, simply contact us, but don’t wait too long and be sorry.