Westmont Student DRIVER Program

Driver Record Information Verified to Evaluate Risk

 

Click the button below (or go to your Profile page) IF ...

you might ever drive
even once (Note: you only need to complete this form once in your entire time as a Westmont student.)
a car
or other registered motor vehicle belonging to you, a friend or family member, the college, a workplace, or otherwise
on "college business"
broadly defined,and including field trips; off-campus class or ministry; Winter Formal; Spring Sing errands; RA-planned social activities; internships; employment for a college department; and on and on

What happens after that ...

Record checked
The college's insurance broker will check your motor vehicle record initially and then early each semester, and alert us to any concerns they have.
Marked if OK
 If nothing of concern is found, your listing in the Student Directory and in each Class Roster will show "DMV" in green letters. That will remain so for your entire college career unless at some future point the insurance broker reports a downgrade of your driving history.

If you have questions ...

Check the AAQ below
Click here to scroll down to the Asked & Answered Questions section

Driving Agreement

By submitting my driver license information I agree to these things:

  • Westmont can review my driving record.
  • If I am permitted to drive, an indicator will appear on the student directory and in the faculty class roster.
  • I have a valid license to drive, with no restrictions that preclude safe and legal operation of a motor vehicle.
  • If my driver license is suspended or otherwise restricted by the issuing authority, I will so advise Westmont's risk manager.
  • I will drive in a safe, prudent and lawful manner at all times.
  • If I use my own vehicle, it will be insured to at least the minimum California state requirements.

My assent here applies to all situations in which I may be construed as operating a vehicle on college business.

Note:
 Simply submitting your information and clicking to accept the Driving Agreement does not constitute permission to drive. Permission has only been granted if the green DMV indicator appears on your record.

 

AAQ: Asked & Answered Questions

When/how will I know the outcome of submitting my request?

Permission requests are processed in one large batch three weeks into each semester, and then in smaller batches approximately monthly thereafter. We do not process them individually. Once a batch is downloaded for review by the college's insurance broker, it can take up to three weeks to get their report. You can check your listing in the Student Directory periodically to see if the green DMV flag appears.

Why does it take so long?

The college's insurance broker must submit each student's request to the Department of Motor Vehicles in the state where they are licensed. We have no way to accelerate this process.

The shortest cycle time is about three weeks if you happen to submit your request just before we run a batch. The longest time could be about 7-8 weeks if you happen to submit your request just after we have run a monthly batch.

What if my listing does not show the green DMV flag?

Lack of a green DMV indicator does not imply you are a bad driver! Here are some of the reasons that many students have no such flag on their record.

Not requested
Some students may simply never request permission because they have no license, have no car, have not gotten around to submitting the request, or for any other reason.
Not completed
Entry of incomplete or incorrect data will prevent the motor vehicle record search from finding a correct match. Students with unmatched records will be notified, and invited to correct the data.
Not processed
A request may still be in queue to be processed. This is the most likely case if you've submitted a request and there's no green DMV flag on your record yet.
Not approved
Occasionally, a student's driving history does not warrant their being permitted to drive on college business.

What if I disagree with the outcome?

If you have waited the time specified above for us to process your request, and the DMV flag does not appear even though you think it should, click here to request a review of your situation.

What if I'm asked to drive while my request for permission is being processed?

Typically there should be an ample number of students previously vetted and approved who can be invited to drive when necessary. However, while while awaiting results on new applicants normal activities can proceed based solely upon each student driver's commitment to safe, prudent, lawful and insured driving at all times.

What if I drive without permission?

We realize that we cannot prevent you from driving anywhere, anytime, and for whatever purpose you choose. By making it possible for those in positions of leadership or other responsibility to easily identify pre-screened prospects when there is a need for students to drive on college business, we believe we can meaningfully reduce the risk of misfortune--even though we can never fully eliminate it. We are aiming for an aggregate reduction of risk, recognizing the sheer impossibility of validating in every instance that any given student is qualified to drive and will do so without incident.

What are the California state minimum insurance requirements?

According to California Insurance Code ยง11580.1b, here are the minimum liability insurance requirements for private passenger vehicles:

  • $15,000 for injury/death to one person.
  • $30,000 for injury/death to more than one person.
  • $5,000 for damage to property.

This is the standard as of the date this web page was prepared. Check this link to see if the information is still current.

How is the DRIVER program being rolled out?

The program was inaugurated for the Fall 2008 semester. The Tea Fire threw us off track mid-year, so we virtually started over in the Fall of 2009. Technical issues impeded the ramp-up for the Fall 2010 semester, but as of this writing over 500 students have been cleared to drive.

What if I am no longer willing to drive, or want to rescind my application for permission?

Simply click here to request removal of your driver license number and state from your Student Profile page. (This must be done manually by our administrator.) When the next cycle of the process has been completed your Directory and Roster listings will not show the DMV flag.