Dear Dr Stuart
We operate a driving scheme, and we’ve been approached by a person who would like to drive for us as a volunteer.Unfortunately, the person has penalty points on their licence.Can they still volunteer with us?
Also, what happens with volunteer drivers who later incur penalty points on their licence?Can they continue to volunteer with us?
Dr Stuart replies:
It’s always best to check a potential volunteer’s driving licence alongside their MOT, road tax and insurance before actually taking that person on.There are no hard and fast rules on penalty points, so, unless the person has had their licence revoked, then it will be up to you to decide on the person’s suitability to be a volunteer driver.
One option would be to ask the potential volunteer about any existing penalty points they have during the application process.You could either include this as a question on the application form or ask the question during an informal chat with the person.This will enable you to find out more about the circumstances in which the driver incurred the penalty points, so that you can set this in context when making a decision about their suitability to be a volunteer driver.
It may also help to develop a policy stating that volunteer drivers need to inform you if they do gain points on their licence, so that you can review the situation and make a decision about their continued suitability to drive.
You can also re-check if they have gained any points when you renew photocopies of their licence, MOT, road tax and insurance for your own records.
Last year, Rospa published the ‘Volunteer Driver’s Handbook’, which contains useful information for volunteer drivers.The handbook states that “Motoring offences, including cautions, summons or convictions, should be reported to your line manager.”You could give a copy of the handbook to your volunteer drivers, and use it to help inform your own policies and procedures for volunteer drivers.
Further Information
Rospa’s ‘Volunteer Driver’s Handbook’:http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/info/volunteer_drivers.pdf
Volunteering England Good Practice Bank
www.volunteering.org.uk/goodpractice
