Driver Screening and Key Management: Essential Risk Reduction for Sober Living Transportation

Transportation is an integral part of many sober living programs, enabling residents to attend meetings, appointments, and employment opportunities. However, providing transportation, especially when involving resident managers or residents themselves as drivers, introduces significant risks that demand rigorous management. As Chris Graham, an insurance advisor specializing in addiction treatment at Bittner Henry Insurance Group, strongly emphasizes, robust driver screening protocols and stringent key management are absolutely essential for mitigating liability and ensuring safety.

The Perils of Unscreened Drivers

One of the most critical aspects of managing transportation risk is ensuring that only approved, qualified individuals are behind the wheel of a sober home’s vehicles, regardless of whether those vehicles are personally or commercially insured. The consequences of allowing unscreened or unapproved drivers can be catastrophic.

You would hope that sober homes have the driver listed as an authorized driver, first and foremost, that they’ve run the proper MVR records and all of it has been approved through the system. But even with commercial policies, a lack of proper driver listing or prior exclusion can create severe coverage gaps. Sometimes, if you, especially on a commercial policy, have the vehicle in the sober home’s name on a commercial policy, but you don’t have the driver listed, you could potentially be setting yourself up for an exclusion. Or if the driver has been excluded, you’re definitely going to set, because they have a bad MVR, or you didn’t run it, whatever the case may be, you’re definitely setting yourself up for some potential exclusions.

This proactive screening process includes:

• Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) Checks: Regularly obtaining and reviewing the driving records of all potential drivers to identify any history of DUIs, reckless driving, or other violations that would indicate a high risk.
• Authorized Driver Lists: Maintaining clear, current lists of individuals approved to drive program vehicles, ensuring these drivers are known to and approved by the insurance carrier.
• Training and Policies: Implementing clear policies regarding safe driving practices, vehicle maintenance, and emergency procedures.

Excluded Drivers

One sober home I talked to wanted to let people in the program drive the vehicles. And they started submitting these individuals to have their MVRs checked by the insurance company. Some of these individuals had bad driving records, including DUIs, so those drivers got excluded. Then one of the drivers relapsed and stole the keys for the vehicle. He wrecked the car and sideswiped several vehicles on the side of the road. The whole thing was excluded because that person was an excluded driver.e, drove the vehicle off, got totally loaded, and wrecked the car. He also sideswiped several vehicles on the side of the road. The whole thing was excluded because that person was an excluded driver.

This tragic scenario highlights two critical takeaways:

1. Exclusions Are Absolute: Once a driver is excluded by the insurance company, there is virtually no flexibility for coverage, even if the vehicle was stolen.
2. The Need for Rigorous Policies: Relying on the goodwill or sobriety of individuals, without firm controls, is a recipe for disaster.

The Importance of Key Management

Key management is also, well, key. If an excluded individual can gain unauthorized access to vehicle keys, all the screening and policy declarations become moot. When I visit a sober living home and I’m asking about their policies and procedures for approved drivers, I also ask what their policies and procedures are for keepign their keys locked and who has access to them.

Effective key management involves:

• Secure Storage: Keys should be stored in a locked, secure location, accessible only to authorized personnel.
• Limited Access: Restricting access to vehicle keys to only those individuals who are approved and currently authorized to drive.
• Tracking Systems: Implementing a system to track who takes and returns keys, and when.

Comprehensive Risk Mitigation

For sober living homes providing transportation, driver screening and key management are not optional additions; they are fundamental components of a robust risk management strategy. They directly impact the ability of your insurance policy to respond in the event of an accident.

As Chris summarizes, You want to make sure you have the proper policy limits, correct drivers on that, and that the insurance company is aware that you are transporting clients. This proactive approach, coupled with careful control over vehicle access, is paramount to safeguarding your residents, your staff, and the financial stability of your sober living program.

Watch a video on understanding Personal vs. Commercial Auto here.