Consider safety when using state vehicles

Most of my conversations with District 3 Safety Coordinator Eric Copeland involve him saying “we cannot get complacent about safety.” It’s a great point and I always tell him “absolutely.” But as a dude who spends most of his time in an office or talking at cameras, I’d be lying if I said I’m always thinking about completing regular safety checklists.

I was jogged out of my habits when showing around a new hire recently. We were coming back from an off-site meeting, and I was going over refueling protocols. I fished out the red envelope containing all things gas-related but couldn’t find the gas card. It was nowhere to be found. Thankfully, we weren’t stranded far from home. It was a reminder to me about the need to check out the pool car and make sure I have everything before turning the key and heading out.

One thing we never think is going to happen to us – until it does – is get into a car crash. The day after my gas-card moment, Eric strolls into my office to talk about what to do if you get into a crash while operating a state vehicle.

Turns out, it is a straightforward process – if you have everything you need with you in the car. Just like a gas card, first aid kit, up-to-date fire extinguisher, and ice scraper, every state-owned vehicle should have a “State of Idaho Auto Accident Report Guide” chilling in the glovebox. You should also find our proof of insurance in there.

“That is not always the case,” warned Copeland. “We’ve had several D3 employees involved in crashes while driving state-owned cars who didn’t have proof of insurance in the car. That made for some interesting conversations with law enforcement.”

Bottom line: take a minute to check your car our and make sure you have all these safety items. While we hope you never have to use them, they are there to either reduce harm to you or make your life easier in case of a crash.

I witnessed the latter first hand a couple years ago. A citizen backed into a parked state car during a visit to Mountain Home. Thankfully, no one was in the parked car and no one was hurt. Thankfully, I was not the person who checked out the car and deferred most of the paperwork to the other guy.

The paperwork turned out to be pretty simple. In this case, everything you are supposed to have was in the state car. Documentation was straight forward and when it came time to file the claim with Eric, he smiled and said thanks. He’s a good guy, Eric.

I’ll end where I began, with Eric’s words of wisdom. We cannot get complacent about safety. The next time you hop into a state-owned rig, give yourself a couple extra minutes to make sure you have everything you need in case the worst-case scenario does happen. If you are missing something, check with your supervisor or fleet manager and get the issue taken care of so the next person doesn’t get the short end of the stick. It’s all our responsibility to be looking out for each other’s safety.



Published 01-17-20