9.3 Motor Vehicle Use

Added: 03/2018
Revised: 05/01/2018
Last Reviewed: 07/31/2018
Effective: 09/01/2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

Middle Georgia State University (MGA) is committed to using state vehicles in accordance with the Board of Regents (BOR) policies and procedures.

A state vehicle is defined as any motorized vehicle owned by the state of Georgia and includes such vehicles as golf carts and utility carts, as well as cars and trucks. Requirements of this policy also apply to rental vehicles used for state business and personally owned vehicles (POV) being used for state business. It is important that employees understand the authorization to drive on state business may be a requirement of employment.

Since MGA has multiple campuses and satellite campuses, the probability of having to drive to another campus for any number of reasons is likely. It is mandatory for all MGA employees to be approved drivers so they are authorized and ready when the need to travel arises.

All employees regardless of whether they are driving state owned vehicles, rental vehicles, or POVs on state business will be required to annually:

  1. Provide a completed Driver Acknowledgement Form (DAF) to include driver’s license information to the Office of Risk Management.
  2. If the employee has had a moving violation in the past 3 years they will need to successfully complete a drive safety training course that will be assigned by the Office of Risk Management.

After receiving a copy of an employee’s driver’s license and a completed copy of the Driver Acknowledgement Form, the office of Risk Management will run a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR). If a person answers yes to all questions on the DAF and has an acceptable MVR they will be assigned the appropriate training. Persons driving 15 passenger vans will be required to take a 15 passenger van training module in addition to being approved on regular type vehicles. Once these requirements are met, the employee will be qualified to drive a state vehicle, rental vehicle or POV on state business. State insurance will only cover liability when a POV is used for state business.

An employee who has had one of the following occurrences during the 24-month period preceding their request for use of a vehicle for state business will be considered a “disqualified driver”.

Accumulating more than 10 points on his or her driving record.

  1. Receiving a citation (ticket or warning) while driving on official business.
  2. Having had an “at fault” motor vehicle accident within six (6) months preceding an assignment to drive on official business.
  3. Having been convicted of one of the following offenses preceding an assignment to drive on official business:
  • Driving under the influence (DUI)
  • Driving while intoxicated
  • Leaving the scene of the accident
  • Refusal to take a chemical test for intoxication

All employees are subject to completion of the DAF and shall be required to disclose to the Office of Risk Management if any of the above apply. A Disqualified Driver may not drive on state business until: (a) his or her MVR has been reviewed by the Office of Risk Management and (b) the Disqualified Driver has satisfied the corrective, preventive and/or educational measures specified by MGA.

  1. The measures specified may include, but are not limited to, the following: Viewing a driver safety video; successfully completing an approved defensive driving course; and/or waiting a specified period of time before being permitted to again drive on official business.
  2. Based on the nature of the events leading to Disqualified Driver status, it may be determined that the Disqualified Driver may never again be permitted to drive a vehicle on official business. Prior to making such a determination, the Office of Risk Management and the Chief Human Resources Officer must consult the Disqualified Driver’s department manager to discuss the factors supporting such a determination and the effects such a determination may have on the job status of the Disqualified Driver.
  3. Among the factors that should be considered in determining whether Disqualified Driver status can be removed and the conditions for doing so may include:
  • The driving conditions under which the relevant events occurred.
  • The extent to which the Disqualified Driver exceeded the maximum speed, level of intoxication, or other limitation imposed pursuant to applicable law.
  • The apparent degree of recklessness or disregard for safety on the part of the Disqualified Driver.
  • Whether anyone was injured as a result of the Disqualified Driver’s action.
  • The amount of time that has passed since the events in question.

An employee with a driver’s license that is expired, suspended, or revoked is not permitted to drive on state business until the license is reinstated. Employees who drive on state business are to disclose any license expiration, suspension or revocation.

Employees charged with the following offenses are not permitted to drive on state business until disposition of the charges.

  1. Driving under the influence
  2. Driving while intoxicated
  3. Leaving the scene of an accident
  4. Refusal to take a chemical test for intoxication
  5. Aggressive Driving (only if a conviction would result in more than 10 points accumulated on driving record).
  6. Exceeding speed limit by more than 19 mph (only if conviction would result in more than 10 points accumulated on driving record)

Employees who drive on state business are to disclose receipt of the above charges by submitting a Driver Notification Form no later than the workday following the charges. This is in addition to the requirement for employees to report DUIs to Human Resources.

Employees who meet all Driver Qualifications following disposition of the charges are permitted to resume driving on state business.

If an employee does not meet all the Driver Qualifications following disposition of the charges, the employee will not be permitted to drive on state business until the circumstances leading to such citations have been reviewed by the Chief Human Resources Officer and the Office of Risk Management and the Disqualified Driver has satisfied the corrective, preventive and/or educational measures specified by MGA. The determination of the measures required will be made by the Chief Human Resources Officer and the Office of Risk Management in consultation with the employee’s department manager, based on specific citation and circumstances.

Driver Acknowledgement Forms and Driver Notification forms are available on the MGA web site under-Office & Services “Risk Management”, Forms.

It is recommended that employees who drive on state business visit the Georgia Department of Administrative Services web site to review information concerning the proper use of vehicles.

Hands-Free Georgia Act

Pursuant to the Hands-Free Georgia Act (HB 673) effective July 1, 2018, Middle Georgia State University (MGA) and all of its employees will abide wholly with all aspects therein while conducting state business, whether in their personal vehicle or in a state vehicle. Many vehicles are equipped with Bluetooth technology which can be used to legally make phone calls while driving. If the vehicle an employee is driving while conducting state business does not have this feature, the employee must either use one of the other devices on the market available to make a device hands free and legal to use while driving, or not use a handheld device until they arrive safely at their destination.