Guidelines for Driving Clients
Providing transportation to clients who are attending Newcomer Education programming. Volunteers will give a ride to clients to/from their home and the location of their Newcomer Education classes.
GUIDELINES FOR DRIVING CLIENTS
Cultural Considerations
Working with newcomer populations requires empathy, patience, and flexibility – especially when providing transportation.
Last-minute changes are common. Confirm your route the morning of each assignment.
Stay in touch with the ReEstablish Richmond staff person responsible for coordinating transportation logistics.
Plan your time generously, allowing your schedule to accommodate longer-than-expected pick-up times. For example: you show up and no one is ready, they aren’t going now, someone is sick, etc. People live complicated lives and are dealing with communication barriers, so these things sometimes happen.
Car seats are not commonly used in our clients’ countries of origin, but they are important safety measures that are legally required here. As a reminder, the driver is legally responsible for the safety of all children riding in the car. Drivers must be familiar with the age/size ranges associated with each type of car seat, as well as how to properly secure the car seat in the van and the child in the car seat. (See Passenger Safety, below.)
Parents are responsible to provide age- or developmentally appropriate car seats for their children.
Children under 8 are not allowed to ride in the van without being properly secured in the age- or developmentally appropriate car seat.
Male drivers should be aware that some women may not feel comfortable interacting with you initially. To build trust, in addition to following all driver expectations, male drivers should avoid physical touch, sustained eye contact, and comments about appearance with women passengers.
More information about building your cultural awareness of our client communities are available on our volunteer portal.
Set an Example
Self-sufficiency is the ultimate goal for our clients. If you’re asked to drive someone to a class, appointment, or event, they are likely working toward getting their driver’s license. Although many newcomers have extensive driving experience in their countries of origin, some clients have limited experience with riding in a car, and traffic rules vary from country to country. Your example as a driver should uphold a high standard of driving in the U.S. — ensuring passenger and child safety, maintaining good driving manners, minimizing distractions, and obeying all traffic laws and speed limits.
Passenger Safety
It is the law that the driver and all other front seat passengers must wear a seat belt at all times. The seat belt should be snug or tight to the body, fitting over the shoulder and across the chest. Anyone under 18 must wear a seat belt in the back seat, too.
Child Safety Seats
The driver is legally responsible for the safety of all children riding in the car. Please take the time to learn the basics of car seat safety, including how to install a child safety seat.
Children age 12 and under should not ride in the front seat of the car.
Children age 8 and younger must be properly secured in a car seat or booster seat appropriate for their height and weight.
Birth until age 2
The child should be in a high-backed, rear-facing car seat that is buckled tightly in the car. It doesn’t move more than 1 inch when pushed or pulled. The 5-point harness fastens in the center of the chest and between the legs. The straps fit close to the child’s body.
Ages 2-5
The child should be in a high-backed, forward-facing car seat that is buckled tightly in the car. It doesn’t move more than 1 inch when pushed or pulled. The 5-point harness fastens in the center of the chest and between the legs. The straps fit close to the child’s body.
Ages 5-8
After outgrowing the forward-facing car seat and until the car’s seat belt fits properly, the child should be in a booster seat so that the lap belt sits low on the child’s hips (not the stomach) and the car’s shoulder belt is on the child’s shoulder (not on the neck, under the arm, or behind the back), coming down across the center of the chest. The seat belt should be snug, flat, and comfortable.
Ages 8-12
When the car’s seat belt fits properly and the child can sit all the way back with knees bent at the end of the seat, the child is ready to ride without a booster. The lap belt should sit low on the child’s hips (not the stomach) and the car’s shoulder belt should be on the child’s shoulder (not on the neck, under the arm, or behind the back), coming down across the center of the chest. The seat belt should be snug, flat, and comfortable. If the seat belt does not fit properly, the child must use a booster seat.