FACT: 48% of allvehicle accidents involve drivers under the age of 25.
What is a youthful driver?Although opinions may vary, most rental car and insurance companies consideranyone under the age of 25 as “youthful”. If a 24-year-old is considered a “youthful”driver, then what is a 17- or 18-year-old?
Are you planning to providea youthful family member with a car? Do you have employees under the age of 25?Do they drive company vehicles for business purposes? What if they do? Rememberthat because your business owns the vehicle, you are vicariously liable for anydamage a youthful, inexperienced driver may cause.
Making appropriate decisionscan help prevent losses and protect company assets.
Basic precautions
• Refrain from hiring“youthful” or inexperienced drivers, older/mature adults are best for positionsrequiring extensive driving.
• Verify that everyapplicant (and employee) has a current driver’s license; never assume they havea valid license.
• Review the MVR (MotorVehicle Record) of prospective employees and establish strict criteria for whatconstitutes an acceptable driving record. (Absolute compliance with allapplicable laws, including but not limited to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, isrequired.)
NOTE: Youthful drivers havenot had sufficient time to build a Motor Vehicle Record; do not place too muchemphasis on their MVR, especially a completely “clear” report.
• Require annual reviews ofmotor vehicle records to monitor employee driving habits.
• If youthful drivers mustbe hired, require them to sign a waiver authorizing background checks to verifythey have successfully participated in drivers’ education course.
• Prohibit youthful driversfrom operating vehicles off-premises.
• High performance vehiclesmay tempt youthful drivers to fully test the car’s capabilities, only trustedemployees should be allowed to operate these vehicles.
• Seat belt use must bemandatory.
• Take a few minutes toeducate new employees on:
– Basicorientation for all business vehicles-controls, instruments and safetyequipment.
– Defensivedriving techniques such as the two-second rule and scanning techniques.
- Accident reporting procedures.
– Maintainat least 1/4 tank of gas in the vehicle at all times.
• Owners should insureyouthful family members with a personal auto policy; it is not good businesspractice to unnecessarily expose corporate policy limits to this “hazard” forthe purpose of saving a few dollars of insurance premium.
• Depending on the size ofyour business property, post stop signs at all intersections and clearly marktraffic lanes.
• Post and enforce (low)speed limits on the property for all motorized vehicles including forklifttrucks and employee’s personal autos.
• Clearly identifypedestrian walkways in the parking lot.
• Install wide-angle mirrorsat all vehicular entrances & exits to improve visibility and allow driversto see oncoming traffic.
• Require employees to honktheir horns as they exit the building to alert drivers and pedestrians outsidethe building. Once again, if you have them, forklift trucks should also followthis rule.
• If pedestrian traffic ispresent inside the building, mark walkways with bright yellow or white paint toidentify safe areas.
• Finally, discuss vehicleaccident prevention with all employees. The items listed below provide goodtopics for driver safety meetings. The Handbook for Responsible Driving (CobbCounty Teen Driver Awareness Committee) lists the following:
Ten Common Driving Errors:
1. Excessive Speed
2. Failure to wear seat belt
3. Inattentiveness
4. Distraction inside theautomobile
5. Inadequate defensivedriving techniques
6. Incorrect assumptionsabout other driver
7. Tailgating or not leavingenough space between vehicles
8. Not checking for trafficin the passing lane
9. Passing without checkingfor traffic in the passing lane
10. Not checking behind foroncoming cars when pulling away from the curb
– Courtesy of Zurich NorthAmerica –https://secure.zurichna.com/zdu
