Vehicle and Driver Safety Policy

Reason for Policy

The purpose of this policy is to establish the safety guidelines for authorized drivers when driving for College business. The College for Creative Studies’ vehicle and driver policy requires the consistent implementation of strong policies and procedures to ensure that drivers and departments know their responsibilities and carry them out.

Driving for College Business

Any employee driving for College business purposes, whether driving a College owned, leased, rented vehicle, or personal vehicle, must adhere to the following:

• Must have a valid Driver’s License
• Must obey traffic laws including cell phone use and the use of seat belts. Also, will be courteous toward other drivers.
•  Must always lock vehicles.
• Must not smoke in any College vehicle.
• Must not drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, while fatigued, or while on medication that affects driving ability.
• Drivers will not transport people who are not involved in the institution’s business.
• Immediately inform your supervisor and Human Resources should your license be revoked or suspended for any reason. Failure to make notification may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination. 
• Must not use vehicle to commit a crime

Approved Drivers

1. Certain positions at the College require regular business-related driving. Employees in these positions will be required to have their motor vehicle record evaluated on hire, and annually thereafter. If a driver’s record contains one of the following violations within the past 36 months, he/she is ineligible to serve as an institution driver: 
   • Driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs 
   • Failure to stop/report an accident 
   • Reckless driving 
   • Driving while impaired 
   • Making a false accident report 
   • Homicide, manslaughter, or assault arising out of the use of a vehicle 
   • Driving while license is suspended/revoked 
   • Speeding contest 
   • Attempting to elude a police officer
   • Excessive infractions or moving violations
   • Becomes uninsurable
2. It is the responsibility of the driver to report any changes in the status of their driving record to Human Resources within five business days. Failure to report could lead to discipline up to but not limited to losing driving privileges, which could result in automatic resignation of employment. 
3. Human Resources and Facilities will coordinate an authorized driver list to maintain control of the ongoing driver authorization process.
4. All those who are requesting driver approval through College for Creative Studies must complete the CCS Driver & Certification form and any associated authorizations.  Motor vehicle record (MVR) checks will be processed through the State of Michigan or a third-party vendor if out-of-state.

Vehicle Use

College Owned, Leased, or Rented Vehicles

• All college leased or owned vehicles will be maintained properly and will be inspected on a regular basis by the Facilities Department.
• Only approved drivers are permitted to drive CCS owned, leased, or rented vehicles.
• If there are vehicles that need special certifications, e.g. CDL, chauffeur’s License, the authorized drivers for those vehicles will be identified, and only they will be permitted to drive those vehicles.
• 15-Passenger Vans are not allowed to be driven or rented.
• Students are not allowed to drive for institutional travel.
• Volunteers are not allowed to drive for institutional travel.
• When driving in the United States, its territories and possessions, and Canada, do not purchase rental vehicle insurance.
• When driving in countries other than the United States, its territories and possessions, and Canada, rental vehicle insurance must be purchased.

Personal Vehicle Use

• Employees may use personal vehicles on institution business; however, they are subject to the same rules as drivers of institution owned, leased, and rented vehicles. Employees assume all risk and liability when choosing to use their own vehicle. The college will not reimburse employee’s personal auto insurance deductible. The Employees personal insurance is primary coverage for any accidents that do occur.
• Employees are only allowed to transport students in their personal vehicle in the event of an emergency only.
• If requested, drivers must provide evidence of auto liability insurance that meets or exceeds the state of Michigan minimum requirements. 
• All personal vehicles used for institution business must be maintained per manufacturer’s recommendations, in compliance with all state laws, and be presentable with clean interiors and exteriors.

Vehicle Accident Reporting Procedures 

1. If a vehicle driven on behalf of, or owned by College for Creative Studies, is involved in a car accident, the driver must report the accident to the police. The Facilities Coordinator and Human Resources must be notified ASAP, but no later than the next business day if the accident involved a vehicle rented, leased, or owned by the College. The following information should be provided: 
   • Driver’s name and the vehicle involved 
   • Location of the accident 
   • Description of any injuries to driver, passenger(s) or occupant(s) of other vehicles 
   • Indicate whether the police and/or ambulance been notified  
   • Indicate the medical facility where injured people have been taken.
   • In the event a personal vehicle is involved in an accident, the same notification should be made as noted above.  
2. The accident should only be discussed with the police or the Facilities Office and Human Resources even though the driver may feel that they were the cause of the accident, the driver should not make any admissions of liability or assume any blame. There may be factors that the driver is unaware of at the time that could mitigate any responsibility.
3. Exchange basic information with the driver of each vehicle involved. Only the following information should be provided and collected by you: 
   • Name, address and telephone number of the driver and any passengers  
   • Type of vehicle and license plate number
   • Provide the vehicle insurance information of the involved vehicles 
4. If an accident resulted in personal injury, the HR office must be notified as soon as possible.

The College will not be responsible for:

• Paying fines that employees receive while driving on College business (personal or institution’s vehicle). Includes parking and moving violations. 
• Posting bail for employees who are arrested while driving on College business.
• Paying towing or impound fees for personal vehicles used in the course of College business.