Domino's Pizza: A Deadly Delivery Problem MICHAEL KELLY Fast home delivery has akonys been 2 major service plus for Domino's Pizza. But an increasing number of the firms delto- ery personnel — many of them young people — are being in- volved in traffic accidents, some of them fatal. Critics claim that the firmts pioneering pledge, to deliver ench pizza within 30 min- tutes or knock $3 off the price, is driving many to risk ther lives, Speed has always been of the essence for Domino's Pizza. ‘The Michigan company’s pioneering promise to home deliver a pizza jinutes of a phone order boosted ingle pizzeria in 1950 to the second- largest pizza operation in the world, with 5,000 outlets and $2.3 billion in sales last year. But now a growing number of critics are say- ing that, in Domino's case atleast, speed kills. ‘Last year, according to the company’s own. records, accidents involving Domino's drivers cost 20 lives, I8of them during pizza runs The company would not say how many of the vic- tims were Domino's drivers. Company spokes- man Ron Hingst, while hastening to say that “even one death is too many,” said that with 230 million pizzas delivered last year, this ‘worksout toonly about one death per 11.5 mil- Tion pies. “We're not minimizing the deaths by any means,” Hingst said. "But that is what the mathematics come out to." Domino's critic Joseph A. Kinney finds little comfort in Hingst’s statistic. “Great,” he said. “Now we know the value of the life of a V7-year-old: 11.5 million pizzas.” Kinney, the director of the Chicago-based National Safe Institute, an inde- pendent research and advocacy group, has ‘come up with his own statistic. Domino's employs between 70,000 and 80,000 part-time drivers. Assuming that this rivers —four for each of the 5,000 Dor ‘outlets—Kinney claims that 20 deaths1988 means that Domino's érivers face a death rate betiveen three and sx times higher than that in the construction industry and twice as high as that of miners “The point is this,” Kinney said. “Would parents let their Kids drive for Domino's if they knew they were three times more likely to die doing that than they would be working construction?” Suzanne Boutros can answer that one. Her 17-year-old son was the latest Domino's driver to die, the only one so far this year. Hastiing to deliver pizzas in the semirural area west of Indianapolis, Jesse Colson often covered 100 miles a night. Hismother and others who knew him say he was proud that he almost al- ‘ways made the delivery within the 80-minute limit and was determined never to get the “King of the Lates” badge allegedly given ev- ery week by his franchise to the driver mos often late on deliveries, Colson died on June 3 when the company. owned Toyota pickup he was driving in a de- livery run swerved offa wet road and struck a utility pole, Domino's has offered the family about $4,000 in worker's compensation 1 cover funeral costs, Boutros said. Kinney est- mates that the 20 deaths in 1988 cost Demi- ‘no's aboat $70,000 in death benefits, and he and other critics argue that Domino's is un- concerned because the cost is so low. Kinney has written to Thomas Monaghan, founderand 97 percent owner of the company, asking that Domino's pay $500,000 to each accident victim, abendon the 20-minute rule, and hire only drivers 18 or older. Colson’s mother calls Domino’ guarantee to deliver each pizza within 30 minutes or knock $8 off the price ‘a license tospeed,"and she and family friends blame it in large part for Colson’sdeath. They havestarted a petition drive asking for federal restrictions on the Policy: the petitioners have delivered their first batch of more than 1,200 signatures to the Indianapolis offices of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar. “They have made me angry and now I'm fighting,” Boutros said, “There's nothing they can do to bring my son back and that hurts — there are days I can hardly stand it—but I feel Iam doing this for my son. I know I can’t help him, but 1 figure maybe the reason he diedis 0 someone would stand up to Domino's on this” Domino's faces criticism and legal action (on other fronts as well: + In Salem, Mass, Charles Dunbar, a 22year-old motorcycle driver allegedly struck bya Domino's driver In Lymn last July, Nas sued the company for dasnages, Dunbar’s attorney, Daniel Crane, says his client suffered a compound fracture of the leffemar and was unable to work for ayecr. + InIndiana, thestate Department of Labor islook- ing into the Colson case to determine whether Dominos policy constitutes a violation of the 1870 Occupational Safety and Health Act under the agency’ juriediction,exid spokesman David Bear. + InPitsbargh, attorney Kenneth R. Behrend has filed suc on’ behalf of Franklin and Mary J. Rranack, who he says suffered neck, beck, at ‘ann Injuries when their car was broadsided bya driver leaving a Domino's store in July 1088. Kranack alleges that the store manager rushed to the scene of the wreck and yelled, “Let’ get this pizza on the road!” + In addition to unspecified monetary damages, Behrendis seeking toforce Doraino'so abandon the 30-minute rule, which he calls a grossly neg ligent corporate policy." Behrend is also helping other lawyers around the country press cases ‘against the company and is attempting to organ ize an information network to coordinate the filing of eases in differeat jurisdictions. ‘The unusually widespread attacks have Domino's officials somewhat worried. “Werec- ‘ognize that we have a perception problem,” said Hingst, “We arc takinga lot of heat now.” But the company has not responded to ei- ther the Indianapolis petitioners or to Kinney And it is not considering drooping or ing its delivery policy, said Hingst. “The 30- minute guarantee is very, very important to our customers,” he said. Hingst said the company has always en- couraged drivers to tke care, has never pe nalized late drivers and will now place even ‘greater emphasis on safe driving. ‘On June 21, after Jesse Colsonis éeath, the ‘company sent a letier to its corporate-ovned stores and its franchises stating that itis com- pany policy to hire drivers 18 or older. The directive, however, is not binding on thefranchisees, and they constitute two-thirds of the Domino's outlets. Kinney charges that “the vast majority” of Domino's drivers are under 18. Hinggt said the company isalso urging fran- chise owners and store managers to promote safe driving and will soon put into effecta new safety courte for its drivers. Domino's executives say the system does not promote fast or reckless driving. They say the speed takes place in the store —noton the road. "We can custom-make a pizza within 10 to 12 minutes,” said Hingst. ‘And our average delivery area is only 1 to 2 miles, so there is cnough time to deliver.” ‘Christopher Rogers, who owns Massachu- setts Domino's stores in Medford, Arlington, Somerville, and Winchester, said: “We never aska driver to break the speed limit. We never want them to do anything to make haste on the road.” However, interviews with current and for- mer Domino’ employees suggest the com- pany’s critics may be right. While Domino's Franchisces, managers and executives do not actively encourage reckless driving, the 30- minute rule acts as an inherent encourage- ment, putting great pressure on the drivers, they said, Vivek Handi Parde, a 21-year-old Univer- sity of Virginia student who has worked at Baltimore-area Domino's outlets off and on for three years, stid the company’s self vaunted quality of “hustle” is “just a euphe- mism for doing everything fast, and that includes driving.” Parde, who says he quit two weeks ago in anger orer Domino's policies, said he and other drivers “speeded all the time. T would speed at least 80 percent of the time, run stop signs, anything to make those deliveries.” Paul, a 19-year-old driver in Chicago who asked that his lastname not be used, said many managers “yet uptight when pizzas are run- ning late and start yelling at everyone to hurry up, hurry up.” Lane Tarleton, a franchise consultant for six months of 1987 in Domino’s southern re- gional headquarters, said: “There's a lot of pressureto speed. It'snot written, butit'sthere. A driver goes out with three or four deliver- ies, and he ends up with aminute to get to the last one and he's two minutes away, he's going to speed, he's going to cut corners. Parde would like to see the 20-minute rule abolished. “There's no reason 20 people a year should get killed over pizza," he said. “Period.”