While it is not uncommon for people to have a couple of traffic violations on their records, too many can begin to create problems. For individuals who rely on driving for a living, more than a couple of minor infractions may jeopardize their jobs.
When workers understand the correlation between traffic safety and their job security, they may have more motivation to establish good driving habits.
Individual risks
Companies with a fleet or that rely on employees to operate company-owned vehicles assume a big risk. Not only do they have to trust that their workers will obey the law and maintain high driving standards, but any non-compliant behavior could greatly impact the company’s image and rapport.
Many companies use background checks to assess a candidate’s driving record prior to employment. According to GoodHire, serious violations may raise a red flag to employers and result in their decision to not hire a candidate. Such violations may include the following:
- Reckless driving
- Running a redlight
- DUI
- Excessive speeding
A driver who has exhibited such behaviors in the past only presents a significant risk which many companies want to avoid dealing with. If employed when a violation occurs, some companies choose termination as the only option to prevent ongoing problems.
Trust and reliability
Employers want to be able to trust their workers and the reason is simple. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, employers may incur significant financial repercussions for everything from lost productivity to damaged property if an employee experiences a traffic incident.
If former traffic violations have prevented people from getting hired for jobs that require driving, all hope is not lost. Rebuilding trust and demonstrating reliability will take time to accomplish, however, consistent work may do the trick. With time and good behavior, people may have the chance to have certain violations removed from their records eventually.
