I'll get back to Lincoln-related stuff soon, I swear. But first a question for parents or the parentally-minded. This scenario is completely hypothetical and not based on real people or events.
Let's say you have a couple kids. Those kids need to be driven somewhere a couple times each week. A chauffeur hired by a third party does the driving.
About a month ago the chauffeur get into a minor car accident while transporting other kids. The incident didn't directly affect you or your kids.
A couple weeks ago an adult you know complained about the chauffeur's driving. She noted that the chauffeur drives too fast and she nearly pulled out in front of another vehicle. This adult isn't particularly trustworthy, but she seems sincere in her concern.
Yesterday the chauffeur got into another relatively minor accident. This time, however, your kids were in the car. They were mostly unhurt, as verified by a just-to-be-sure trip to the emergency room, although one had an abrasion on his neck from the seatbelt.
The chauffeur is scheduled to transport your kids again in a few days. What do you do?
Comments
See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.
If it’s the same chauffeur driving each time, I would wonder how effective the company was in screening its drivers and whether or not a clean driving record is important. That’s crappy.
I would replace the chauffer if at all humanly possible.
I wouldn’t let my kids in the car with this person driving. One time is an accident, but two is a pattern.
Do the kids really “need to be driven somewhere”? If it’s really that important for the kids to be there, then perhaps transportation should be done by the parents.
Sometimes these things happen, but I would ask the third party if this is a pattern with the driver. At least discuss my concern. If I believe it is a problem/pattern, I would escalate the discussion and, if necessary, take matters into my own hands (drive them myself).
For the purposes of this (purely hypothetical!) scenario, the kids must be driven by a third party.
Find a new driver.
Also, send an email to someone in the local media like Jack and John or Cindy Lange-Kubick. If this is an ongoing problem, they might jump on it.
This driver has a track record now. Two minor accidents in a month’s time, both times with kids in the car. Someone else complains about this person’s driving during that time. There is no chance my kids are riding with that driver again. And, I’m letting the people who hired that driver know exactly why.
I’d probably request the third party take steps to get a new driver. Two accidents in a month isn’t unheard of, but when kids are passengers, it raises the stakes. If anyone at the third party dismissed your worry, then they should be worried about, too.
We don’t transport children without a guardian with them. Just way too much that can happen and tons of liability there legally, etc.
But…pretty simple to resolve…demand a driving record. Accidents are not really a red flag…cause many times two parties are involved and fault can be debatable at times. People have bad luck sometimes…I had a very nice ‘79 BMW that I had pumped quite a bit of cash into just a week before it was totally smashed by another driver. Just bad luck that I had spent so much on it a short time before it was wrecked.
But a little history on the person is warranted. Personally…I would not trust my son with anyone not family driving him anywhere. I may be a little over protective but there are some crazy folks out there. Unfortunately it is a crazy world out there
“What do you do? ”
Hypothetically, what other options do you have?
Share your thoughts with the community.
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