Risk management is the foundation of a successful transportation program today, without which you face many possible landmines of litigation.  It is important to review each element of your program at least annually.

  

The five minute Trip Inspection should be done by the driver each time a vehicle is removed from its parking spot, whether an owned or non-owned vehicle, and kept on file for at least seven years for liability reasons. This inspection could be the difference in the life or death of someone.

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   Hired Vehicles present issues of vehicle proper use, qualified driver, and maintenance, today, that you can not afford to miss. Does your check list review provide the proper safeguards? Important side issue for this. Since 15 passenger vans are known to be unsafe, allowing them to be used by your organization opens possible risks to the organizational officers, employees, and leaders to litigation, should an accident occur. On August 3, 2004 Ford Motor Company and Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company were sued for this very issue.

   Owned Vehicles present challenges for safety inspections, for a proper vehicle, proper use, proper vehicle maintenance, and qualified driver. Do your procedures and forms meet the challenges and litigations of today with proper safeguards?

   The volunteer vehicle and its driver can present some challenging issues, today, that can leave your organization in a quicksand of litigation. Are they qualified to drive, is the vehicle maintained, and do they have proper insurance? Do your forms and procedures provide the proper safeguards?  Do not forget all the recreational vehicles people may volunteer to provide for your activities. This is too often over-looked today, causing the organization many issues.

  

GuideOne Center For Risk Management Van Safety site has info that will assist you with your transportion decisions of today.  Your organization should also know that since there has been well known, established litigation against the use of 15 passenger vans for the transportation of people, any use from this point forward puts your organization, its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, drivers, and other connected persons at high risk for possible litigation and as well as the possible danger of punitive  litigation. Many states have banned their use to haul people. For other states, prohibitions for use are pending, as it is, with the Federal Government.  www.guideonecenter.com/churchandschool/vansindex.htm   also note this related page   www.nasdpts.org/papervans.html