Safe Driver Program

Any individual affiliated with the university who may drive a university vehicle for official university purposes.

• Students, Faculty, & Staff
  • All students, faculty and staff are required to: i) Have a valid driver’s license; ii) Have a driving record with no more than one major moving violation or one accident in the past year (whether damaged caused either to or by the vehicle), and iii.) Have a driving record with no serious events. Serious events include but are not limited to any alcohol or drug related offense(s), failure to report an accident, and operating during a period of license suspension or revocation.
• Additional Eligibility Requirements for Students
  • All students are required to i.) Complete and pass Risk Management and Insurance’s Defensive Driving Course; ii.) Have a valid driver’s license for at least two years; and iii.) Consent to having a motor vehicle record run and reviewed in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

• Additional Eligibility Requirements for Faculty & Staff
  • In consideration of being authorized to drive a University vehicle, all faculty & staff will be monitored for regular compliance with the procedures, policies and rules in this Safe Driver Program. Faculty and staff will be subject to MVR review and the University will conduct more frequent checks if at-risk behaviors are identified.

Not necessarily. Typically, if we are unable to process your Motor Vehicle Record, we may ask for a copy of your driver's license. If this situation arises, we will get in touch with you and request that you provide us with a copy of your driver's license.

The Defensive Driving Course is a required course for all students to complete in order to be eligible to operate University Vehicles. In some cases, Staff & Faculty may be required to complete the Defensive Driving Course by the discretion of Risk Management and Insurance and/or their respective department.

Your supervisor/advisor is the individual within your unit, department, group, or club who is responsible for your vehicle usage. You should not list yourself, another employee, or a student. Please do not use general emails (e.g., department@northwestern.edu).

No. You can now complete the Defensive Driving Course remotely. Once you complete a Safe Driver application and your MVR is approved, you'll receive a link to complete the course.

Applicants should complete a Safe Driver application, and sign up to complete the Golf Cart Safety course.

Faculty and Staff should check with their departments and/or Risk Management and Insurance on whether they must complete the course.

Yes. Please review the information below and kindly note that any exceptions to these rules require permission from Risk Management and Insurance at risk@northwestern.edu. To request an exception, please provide a detailed itinerary for the trip along with your justification.

Operational Rules and Trip Management for Students

• 4 Hours / 2 Consecutive Hours - Each driver may only drive a total of four hours per day and no more than two consecutive hours.
  • All trips over two hours require at least two approved drivers. At least one passenger shall remain awake at all times.
• 5:00 am to 11:00 pm - Drivers are only able to drive between 5:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
• 150 Mile Radius – During the week, trips must stay inside of a 150-mile radius. On the weekends, the radius is extended to 300 miles, requiring an overnight stay.
• 10 Hours per Day Total – The maximum a vehicle can be driven in one day is 10 hours.

No. Risk Management and Insurance will suspend the drivers university driving privileges until the license is renewed. Per the Safe Driver Program, all drivers must hold a valid drivers license.

Yes. You may still submit an application if your drivers license is expiring soon. However, you will not be able to submit your application if your drivers license expires on the same day of your submission.

We will notify you via email that your drivers license is expiring soon and provide you with a link to update your drivers license information on file.

Please add riac@northwestern.edu to your address book to ensure delivery of these notifications.

Student Driver's who remain in compliance with the policies, procedures, and rules of the Safe Driver Program can hold their certification for up to 2 years*. However, this is dependent upon acceptable annual and/or semi-annual motor vehicle record checks.

Please note that, at minimum, all driver's must renew their Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) annually.

Return to the course link email and follow the confirmation link.

If you need help, email Risk Management and Insurance at risk@northwestern.edu.

Northwestern's Procurement and Payment Services department manages the Vehicle Rental program with National Car Rental and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. 

To learn more, visit Vehicles: Procurement and Payment Services - Northwestern University

The Auto-ID card is updated annually. To access the Auto-ID card, visit Auto ID Card. If you experience any issues accessing the Auto-ID card, please contact email Risk Management and Insurance at risk@northwestern.edu.

A couple things may cause your name not to appear on the certified student drivers page.

• The listing is updated daily, around 9:00am. Therefore, the time in which you became certified may affect when your name appears on the webpage.
• If you currently hold a Defensive Driving Certification and do not see your name listed on the Certified Student Drivers list, Your MVR check may be expired. Your MVR expiration date is approximately 1 year before your DDC Certification expires.

If you need more assistance, email Risk Management and Insurance at risk@northwestern.edu.