As much as Northerners like to make fun of Southerners for freaking out during snowstorms, it seems clear that here in Orange County, snowstorms are dangerous and potentially deadly — that’s no laughing matter.
And yet, some food delivery businesses kept their doors open and customers across Chapel Hill took advantage. This meant delivery drivers were traveling all throughout Chapel Hill in dangerous road conditions.
Businesses should make the safety of their employees their highest priority during snowstorms and not ask their delivery drivers to work in potentially fatal conditions, while consumers should refrain from creating demand for delivery work.
The danger of road conditions in snowstorms should not be underrated. Over this weekend in Chapel Hill alone, there were at least three accidents, including a flipped vehicle off of East Franklin Street, according to the town of Chapel Hill.
Commercial driving is the eighth most fatal occupation in the United States, and the demand that drivers work through extreme weather conditions can only exacerbate that danger. Additionally, not all personal car insurance policies cover delivery drivers while they’re working, and not all delivery businesses extend commercial car insurance to their drivers.
A delivery driver might be literally risking their life to bring you a pizza or a box of chicken wings.
If you’re not willing to risk your own safety to drive in the snow, then it is definitely not morally permissible to make someone else do it for you.
Businesses should not risk the safety of their employees and consumers should avoid creating the temptation for businesses to do so.
Arguing that the availability of delivery during adverse weather is just a market reality ignores the power of each individual’s actions.
