Vehicle Policies

All operators of university-owned, leased, rented, or loaned vehicles, including utility carts, and operators who utilize their personally owned vehicle (POV) in a capacity where they would rely on the university’s insurance policy in the event of an accident shall be Authorized University Vehicle Operators (AUVOs). The AUVO program is available to faculty, staff, students, and university volunteers. To help select only well-qualified drivers, we will adhere to the following procedures:

• All employees (including faculty and administration) whose duties may require them to operate an institution vehicle will have a current driver’s license, appropriate for the type of vehicle they will be driving. Operators of vehicles designed to carry more than 15 passengers shall have a Commercial driver’s license. The employee will provide a copy of their Oklahoma driver’s license, insurance, and motor vehicle record during the AUVO qualification process. Individuals must reapply every three years or upon request thereafter. Volunteer and student drivers shall present a valid license from any State. All of the required documentation shall be e-mailed to [email protected].
• We will allow only drivers with a good driving record to operate institutional vehicles. A “good” driving record is defined as having 30% or less of the point level at which the driver’s license would be suspended under current state motor vehicle codes. In the State of Oklahoma points are assessed to the driving record of persons convicted of certain violations of the law, generally traffic violations. When your point total on your driving record reaches ten (10) or more points within a five (5) year period your license is suspended.
  • Note: On a case-by-case basis, this rule may be temporarily overridden by specific authorization of the University President or his or her designee. Such authorization must be in writing and will be maintained in the driver’s personnel file.
• All department heads will certify the necessity of having each specific driver available to drive for their department. This certification will be completed in writing annually and will be maintained in the driver’s personnel file.
• It is important for all drivers to recognize their responsibilities for operating a university vehicle in a safe and sober manner. We require each driver to sign a commitment statement in which he/she pledges to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations (including university policies) when operating a university vehicle.
• Any student whose duties may require him/her to operate an institution vehicle will meet the same criteria as an employee driver. Specifically, the student will:
  • Be at least 18 years of age;
  • Have a minimum of two (2) years of driving experience in the United States;
  • Possess a current driver’s license appropriate to the class of vehicle to be operated;
  • Have 30% or less of the points needed for license suspension in the state in which the vehicles are to be operated;
  • Sign the safe-driving commitment every three years;
  • Maintain at least a 2.5/4.0 GPA during the time when the student may be driving an institution vehicle. We will monitor the academic records of all students who may be assigned to drive an institution vehicle and any student driver with a GPA below 2.5 will be ineligible to drive until the student is able to maintain the required GPA.
• AUVO Candidates shall participate in driver training. All AUVO candidates shall complete a defensive driver course. This course is available online, free of charge, by contacting Evangelina Simons at [email protected]. In addition, anyone anticipating the use of vans shall also complete a large van safety course, which is also available online by contacting Evangelina Simons. Individuals who have completed these courses through other sources need to supply copies of completion certificates to satisfy the training requirement.

Oklahoma City University Authorized University Vehicle Operator Application

Oklahoma Department of Public Safety Records Request

Authorized University Vehicle Operators shall not use cell/mobile phones or other radio/digital communication devices while driving.

If a call must be made, the AUVO shall find a suitable location to pull off of the road for the purposes of making the call.

The shoulder of the road is not an acceptable location to make a call.

The university’s insurance policy covers the use of rented, leased, and loaned vehicles. The purchase of additional insurance is not necessary.  

Automobile liability insurance follows the ownership of the vehicle. A vehicle operator is covered under the owner’s policy if they have permission from the owner to use the vehicle.

Automobile Physical Damage coverage also follows the ownership of the vehicle. In the case of rental vehicles, if the use of the vehicle is for institution business, the institution’s policy provides collision coverage to the rental vehicle. Therefore, the collision damage coverage offered by the rental firm may be declined

Vehicle Accident Reporting Procedures

Vehicle accidents can seriously impact the lives of those involved, both as drivers and as passengers. To minimize the long-term effects of those accidents and to ensure that they do not happen again, the following policies and procedures are in effect.

If a university vehicle is involved in a collision with another vehicle, object or person, or animal the driver will notify OKCUPD at 405-208-5001 immediately. OKCUPD will notify the Fleet Administrator and Chief Financial Officer.

Provide the following information to OKCUPD

• Driver’s name and the vehicle involved
• Location of the accident
• Describe any injuries to the driver, passenger(s), or occupant(s) of other vehicles
• Indicate whether the police and/or ambulance have been notified and
• Indicate the medical facility where injured people have been taken

Await further instructions from OKCUPD, the Chief Financial Officer, the Fleet Administrator, or other designated university representative.

After calling OKKCUPD, retrieve the current insurance card from the glove box. This card shows evidence of insurance to police authorities and also provides the driver with basic information on the insurance company, their claim reporting phone number, and the policy number.

The driver should begin to fill out the accident report form located in the vehicle’s glove box. Be particularly careful to discuss the accident only with the police, OKCUPD, Chief Financial Officer, or the Fleet Administrator. Despite the fact that the driver may feel that he/she was the cause of the accident, do 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.

Exchange basic information with the driver of each vehicle involved. Only the following information should be provided:

• Name, address, and telephone number of the driver and any passengers
• Type of vehicle and license plate number
• Insurance company name and policy number
• Obtain the same information from driver(s) of the other vehicle(s)

OKCUPD will notify the Chief Financial Officer and coordinate the accident investigation. He/she will gather reports from police investigators and will begin the investigation as soon as reasonably possible. This will generally be within 24 hours of the accident. Failure to report the accident to the Chief Financial Officer within 24 hours will result in a suspension of driving privileges for the offending operator.

General Principle

If Oklahoma City University has liability for damages occurring on campus to vehicles not owned by Oklahoma City University, we will make appropriate restitution. If Oklahoma City University is not liable, then we will endeavor to provide access to any relevant information we possess to assist vehicle owners in seeking recovery for their damages.

The primary component in this process is liability. Under the law, liability can arise when a party has been negligent. Negligence refers to a failed duty. So, the determination must be made whether we had a duty with respect to a given loss. Here are some basic examples of potential or common events.

Examples

Oklahoma City University Employee Driving Golf Cart Hits Parked Visitor Car

Our faculty/staff/students are trained and expected to exercise caution to prevent damage to others in the course of their work. Specific circumstances could affect the outcome of this type of occurrence; however, it would appear in this illustration that the university would be expected to cover the cost of repairing visitor’s car.

Employee Driving Personal Vehicle Hits Visitor’s Car

Since both the employee and the guest are independent third parties, then (assuming for this illustration that nothing the university did or failed to do was applicable to the circumstance) resolution of this matter would be between the employee and the guest. Oklahoma City University Police should be called (208-5911) for any type of vehicle accident, whether or not an injury occurred.

Tree Limb Falls on Parked Employee Car

If Oklahoma City University had identified that a particular tree posed a threat and did not take action to mitigate the threat in a reasonable amount of time, then the university might be obliged to cover the cost of repairing the employee's car.

However if one of the many trees on campus fell during a storm, and there had been no previous indication of danger, we would regard this as outside of our control, and the employee would need to pursue recovery independently through their own insurance carrier. There exists no industry standard of care that every tree on campus be checked routinely as if to guarantee that no storm could cause any tree to fall.

Foul/Fly Baseball Damages Vehicle

Signs are posted at parking lots near the baseball field to warn people of the possibility that damage could occur to their vehicle. Reasonable effort has also been made by the university to exercise due diligence by erecting nets and fences to reduce the chance of a foul or fly ball escaping the field. However, someone parking a car within range of a foul ball is presumed to be aware of the potential hazards associated with choosing to park in proximity to an athletic activity, such as baseball, in which stray balls are an inherent part of the game and regular practices.

Therefore, the university will generally not assume responsibility for the costs associated with these types of damages. The loss should be reported to the vehicle owner's insurance company.