The writer got busted a few months ago scrolling on the phone whilst idling down Petone Esplanade in peak morning traffic on the way to a customer site. The damage was $150 and 20 demerits, and for the avoidance of doubt, it was a fair cop.
But spare a thought for Auckland security guard Aleksandar Milosavljevic, who had eyes on him all the time while driving from callout to callout.
We have no idea how many points he has on his driving license, and it’s none of our business. Or his employer’s for that matter, as long as he holds a valid license.
A recent determination by the Employment Relations Authority that declined to reinstate Milosavljevic after he had been dismissed made no mention of him getting issued with any infringement notices for using a phone while driving. Or even speeding, given that his company vehicle was almost certainly GPS tracked and speed monitored.
MILOSAVLJEVIC v FIRST SECURITY GUARD SERVICES LIMITED | Employment Relations Authority (era.govt.nz)
What he was dismissed for was being seen on camera using his cellphone four times during a 10 or 12 hour shift. The determination noted:
[7] … FIRST Security has an interactive live-time camera in their vehicles which alerts the driver when they trigger actions and/or behave in a way that raises an issue such as using a phone in their hand while driving or looking like they are falling asleep or fatigued. The device sounds an alarm when a person does not have their eyes on the road or is inattentive and footage is recorded and sent to FIRST Security’s internal health and safety team for follow up by the relevant manager.
[8i] … at approximately 1:25 pm, he was using a work cell phone while operating a company vehicle. When alerted by the camera, Mr Milosavljevic said “oh my God, I am going to look at the phone even more.” He then showed his middle finger to the camera.
Flipping a camera the bird? We are highly outraged. What a rude dude.
But it could have been worse – he could have been seen on camera picking his nose.
First Security Guard Services Limited – not all humans thrive in the (intrusive) presence of AI. Cut your remaining guys some slack, eh?
Tristam Price, Editor, Leighton Associates
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