Business managers need to stay on top of the status of employees who drive company vehicles, as a traffic stop last week demonstrated.
According to Sgt. Phil Penny, detachment commander for the Stettler RCMP, members conducted a vehicle stop and discovered the driver had a suspended driver's licence. The Traffic Safety Act (TSA) requires a vehicle driven by a disqualified driver be towed, and makes no allowance for circumstances "regardless of the driver not being the registered owner," Penny said.
Penny suggested that both business managers and individuals, who allow employees, family or friends to operate their vehicles, take steps to ensure those people have valid driver's licences.
In Alberta, a vehicle will be seized for a minimum of 30 days for a first offence and 60 days for a second offence. Once the seizure is complete, the TSA also has an appeal process in place in which either the driver or registered owners of these vehicles may participate to recover the vehicle.
"I share this in the hopes that vehicle owners take steps to make sure they are not found without a vehicle for the same reasons outlined above," Penny said. He suggested employers require driver's abstracts on occassion.