Parents driving students for field trips-UPDATE pg 6

[wgeo]

Slightly offtopic - but my kids have been going to the same sleep away summer camp for years and we've had to notarize the medical "allowed to treat" forms. This year they did away with that and we only need to sign them. Surprised they changed it.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Just curious? If your child was invited on a play date where the kids were going to be picked up from school, would you ask the parent for a copy of their insurance and driving record? Maybe run a quick CORI check on them too?

Also, just because you know a parent well, it doesn’t mean you know how they drive. I have two close friends who are great moms, wonderful people, but sometimes I fear for my life when I drive with them. One loves to speed and the other one is just a bad driver. I usually just offer to drive when we go out, especially when the kids are coming.

My kids would not be going on a play date with parents that I hadn't met, and wouldn't be driven by those parents unless I knew them really well. I'm not sure what a CORI check is. I wouldn't be doing a background check or physically verifying license and insurance. The first time I allowed them to ride with a friend's parents after getting to know them, I might simply ask if they have a valid license, insurance, reliable vehicle, etc. Just some basic questions to gauge how they respond.

I completely agree with you on knowing a person well not necessarily meaning you know how they drive or that they are a good driver. You never can tell in advance if some other driver is going to be an idiot and cause a wreck with the vehicle you/your kid, etc is in. I can't prevent everything, but the better you know someone, the better you can guage how serious they are about safety, following rules, etc. You can get an idea if they are the kind of person who gets stressed and overwhelmed easily when their own kids bicker, which might make it more difficult for them driving even more kids around. Everything is a judgement call and a person's character is often the best judge of how they might react in various situations. We had a neighbor a few years ago and our kids played together. They had fun together, but I never let her go over there alone and I absolutely would never have allowed her to drive my kids. Why? She always had a drink in her hand, no matter the time of day, and would often sneak behind the house to smoke pot. She didn't do that one in front of the kids and was great with them, but I wasn't comfortable with her watching them alone and there was no way she was going to drive them around.

Another situation- After my hysterectomy when my son was 3 months old and DD was in kindergarten, I wasn't able to drive. DH worked and couldn't drive her to school. My brother paid a friend of his (who I didn't know at the time) to drive her to school. I didn't know anything about her, but my brother assured me that she'd driven his kids around and he'd been with her in a vehicle multiple times and that he felt she was a safe driver. She met with me, offered up her license and insurance without asking, described the safety features of her vehicle and her driving record with me (again, I didn't ask, she offered the info), and made sure that DD was comfortable with her before she ever drove her.

I can't control everything, but I have to be comfortable with the decisions I make, knowing that I did try to get as much info as possible in regards to my kids' safety.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

I see alot of posters bringing up having proof of insurance. I'm not really sure what that tells you about someone's driving record, in my state you are required to have insurance. That doesn't ensure you are a safe driver, it just ensures that damages will be paid when you aren't.

Are there states that don’t require auto insurance? Never knew that.

My state requires insurance to register a vehicle, and if you're caught driving without insurance, there are some harsh penalties. Unfortunately, my state also has the highest insurance rates in the country, so many people let their insurance lapse after getting their vehicle registered or, if they have too many accidents/crappy driving record/ whatever, their insurance company cancels them.

I live in a no-fault state, so no matter whose vehicle my kids are in or who causes an accident, my insurance is responsible. That also means that my insurance rates can go up if my daughter is in an accident as a passenger in someone else's vehicle, regardless of who is at fault. While it does mean my DD is covered even if the driver doesn't have insurance, I could still have higher rates due to the accident, so I want to be even more sure she's being driven by someone who is safe. Knowing that person has insurance, even if it has no effect on liability, helps me to know that that person wasn't possibly denied insurance due to accidents and record and also shows to me that they aren't breaking the law in that regard. If they are willing to break that driving law, what other ones might they also consider frivolous?

 

[mjkacmom]

I’ve never had to vet another parent. Give me 15 minutes, and I will find out a ton of information on any family in town of 27,000 residents. Ds20 asked for a play date with his new kindergarten friend way back when, only child, his mom freaked out (her words) but vetted us easily, and we’ve all been friends ever since. She sold her Jeep a couple years later so she could fit 7 kids for sports carpooling.

Nothing beats word of mouth.

 

[kamik86]

My kids would not be going on a play date with parents that I hadn't met, and wouldn't be driven by those parents unless I knew them really well. I'm not sure what a CORI check is. I wouldn't be doing a background check or physically verifying license and insurance. The first time I allowed them to ride with a friend's parents after getting to know them, I might simply ask if they have a valid license, insurance, reliable vehicle, etc. Just some basic questions to gauge how they respond.

A CORI check is a quick background check that is needed for anyone working with certain groups of people like young kids, disabled, or elderly. It may just be a thing in this area (MA and maybe surrounding states). I know it can't be too in depth when I worked at a summer camp we filled it out on our first day of training and were with kids a week later so either we were working before the check came back or it was super fast. Granted only about half the staff needed them as all the teachers were able to count the ones from their schools so it was mostly all the college students working there that needed them.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I would have no problem with parents driving a field trip... done it myself many times, as a parent driver and as a passenger. Here in Mass you cannot have a car without insurance, and a CORI would satisfy my needs. Now it is moot, as now my kids are driving themselves, but give me an actual car with air bags and seat belts over a school bus any day... as far as safety goes those kids are like loose eggs if anything goes wrong in a typical school bus, even just a simple bump can send kids flying s and injured.

School buses are generally much safer than cars. IIRC, less than 10% of fatalities involving school buses are people actually on the bus.

 

[North of Mouse]

------but give me an actual car with air bags and seat belts over a school bus any day... as far as safety goes those kids are like loose eggs if anything goes wrong in a typical school bus, even just a simple bump can send kids flying s and injured.

Really?? A simple bump, eh?? Have a very good safety record around here - never was a worry to me at all and mine all rode the buses.

 

[mom2rtk]

I would have no problem with parents driving a field trip... done it myself many times, as a parent driver and as a passenger. Here in Mass you cannot have a car without insurance, and a CORI would satisfy my needs. Now it is moot, as now my kids are driving themselves, but give me an actual car with air bags and seat belts over a school bus any day... as far as safety goes those kids are like loose eggs if anything goes wrong in a typical school bus, even just a simple bump can send kids flying s and injured.

Insurance laws in no way guarantee that everyone on the road actually have live valid insurance. I was rear ended a year ago and the person presented a policy complete with agent's name and phone number. When I got home and called, I found out the policy had been cancelled.

 

[georgina]

I woukd have walked into his office. Dont give him a chance to prepare.

Why not give him a chance to prepare? That sounds quite adversarial. Wouldn't it be better for him to have looked into it ahead of time, rather than tell her "I'll have to look into that and get back to you later"?

 

[emma'smom]

I used to drive for my elementary age daughter's field trips all the time. They seemed to go on them pretty frequently and always needed drivers. I had to turn in a copy of my license, registration and car insurance info at the beginning of the school year. I usually tried to only take kids I knew (made it easier to manage them if I knew them) and we had to agree to play only kid-friendly music (and no videos as that was an issue one year when they went on a camping trip with a 1 hour drive). Anyway, sometimes I would just drop off and come back and sometimes I would chaperone the trip too...depending on my schedule.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Why not give him a chance to prepare? That sounds quite adversarial. Wouldn't it be better for him to have looked into it ahead of time, rather than tell her "I'll have to look into that and get back to you later"?

If rather have him not be aware, not able to prepare any kind of bluff, and yes, have to get back to me.

Otoh, I grew up way back when it only mattered that you were home in time for dinner. Nobody worried who you were with or who their parents were. Or who drove whom where, as long as the driver was licensed..

 

[Suger Mag]

Really?? A simple bump, eh?? Have a very good safety record around here - never was a worry to me at all and mine all rode the buses.

Glad you have never experienced it, but google school bus videos if you don't believe me. Our school buses do not have any safety belts, so the kids are unrestrained. I am speaking from personal experience, Sometimes when buses go over bumps too fast, or have to brake quickly, kids are thrown around. Bumps, bruises were what my kids experienced.

 

[Suger Mag]

Insurance laws in no way guarantee that everyone on the road actually have live valid insurance. I was rear ended a year ago and the person presented a policy complete with agent's name and phone number. When I got home and called, I found out the policy had been cancelled.

It takes a couple of months, but in Mass, the RMV kicks out your registration. So if a person wants to drive, I suppose they can, but without registration or valid insurance that would be trouble if you are pulled over.

 

[mom2rtk]

It takes a couple of months, but in Mass, the RMV kicks out your registration. So if a person wants to drive, I suppose they can, but without registration or valid insurance that would be trouble if you are pulled over.

That's interesting and great. So they're confirming every month that insurance policies remain in place? Here they verify at the time you license and renew your tags, but people just get a policy then cancel right after they provide the proof and get the tags.

 

[Suger Mag]

That's interesting and great. So they're confirming every month that insurance policies remain in place? Here they verify at the time you license and renew your tags, but people just get a policy then cancel right after they provide the proof and get the tags.

It happens pretty quick sometimes. My son found out the hard way, being late on his insurance payment. Even though he paid, his Insurance was cancelled and his Reg pulled...He will never do that again LOL, was such a pain, getting a specific form from the insc. company and then sitting in the RMV for a couple of hours to get it reinstated.

 

[mom2rtk]

It happens pretty quick sometimes. My son found out the hard way, being late on his insurance payment. Even though he paid, his Insurance was cancelled and his Reg pulled...He will never do that again LOL, was such a pain, getting a specific form from the insc. company and then sitting in the RMV for a couple of hours to get it reinstated.

That's awesome. Well, not for your son, but at least he got a lesson out of it. It's ridiculous that our state never checks except again at the next renewal.

 

[Suger Mag]

That's awesome. Well, not for your son, but at least he got a lesson out of it. It's ridiculous that our state never checks except again at the next renewal.

Yes, it was a good life lesson... no major harm, but a lot of inconvenience.

I think it is automated, and not sure if it goes every month or periodically as the timing is sometimes off....we also had some trouble when we switched the ownership of a car after the person passed... it was like someone forgot to take the previous owner off in some form online somewhere. So out of the blue we got a notice that my dad's insurance was not valid and the registration was going to be revoked. I was at the RMV like ummm... my dad has been dead for a year and the car is in my name now. Not perfect LOL, but it is better than no checking.

 

[mrodgers]

I must say of the comments I've read about the kids that age needing to be at least in a booster seat.... They are not even in a seatbelt when being bussed to and from school or on field trips....

 

[mjkacmom]

I must say of the comments I've read about the kids that age needing to be at least in a booster seat.... They are not even in a seatbelt when being bussed to and from school or on field trips....

Here boosters are required by law until 8 and 80, and school buses must have seatbelts.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

I must say of the comments I've read about the kids that age needing to be at least in a booster seat.... They are not even in a seatbelt when being bussed to and from school or on field trips....

In MI, law is booster until the age of 8 or 4'9", whichever comes first. For almost all kids, turning 8 will be first. No seat belts on buses here. Bus drivers have their driving record combed through, have to go through an initial bus safety course as well as regular follow up courses, and undergo either an annual or bi-annual physical and have a medical clearance submitted by their doctor. Far more than what someone needs to drive a regular vehicle. Buses are also designed to be safer than cars, have better crash and rolling protection, etc, and bus fatalities are very few.

Here's a site with more info on why seatbelts aren't a requirement for buses in most states.
https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety