Transportation/Accident Policy/Safety

• In most cases, travel plans should be left to the individual students for local field trips. If RIT coordinated ground travel is planned, you are advised to contact the Parking and Transportation Services Department to inquire about the use of an RIT van or approved charter bus. Van drivers must obtain driver certification from Parking and Transportation.

  RIT discourages faculty and staff from actively coordinating car pools using students as drivers and/or paying student drivers mileage allowances for use of their cars. If this option becomes absolutely necessary, please contact the RIT Risk Management Office at x5-6135 for further guidance.

• Trips requiring the supervising faculty/staff member to acquire the use of rental cars should be handled in the following manner:

  • The RIT faculty/staff should rent the vehicle, not the student.
  • Rental should be billed against an RIT corporate credit card. This assures that RIT's Car Rental Loss Program will respond should there be physical damage to the rental car during the term of the loan. You can decline the additional insurance options.
  • Students should not be allowed to drive the vehicle unless they have obtained RIT driver certification and are listed with the car rental agency as an additional driver.
  • Rentals of vans larger than a 7-8 passenger mini-van is strictly prohibited. Larger vans have a high risk of roll-over crashes.
  • If the trip requires the use of a larger capacity vehicle or the rental of a truck, please contact the Risk Management Office at x5-6135 to discuss the details before making the rental reservations.
  • Any motor vehicle accident occurring during the trip should be reported as soon as possible using the RIT/NTID Rental Car Accident Instructions below. If injuries occur, immediately notify Public Safety at (585) 475-3333.

  • Refer to RIT Vehicle and Driver Safety below for further information.

Rental Car Used for RIT/NTID Purposes

RIT maintains insurance coverage through Visa and MasterCard for damage sustained to rental cars charged to the corporate card. If you have not already done so, please report your claim to the appropriate Claims Office at:

NTID MasterCard Credit Cards: 1-800-MC-ASSIST

RIT VISA Credit Cards: 1-800-VISA 911 or online Visa Auto Rental Insurance Claim Center. If you are outside the United States, call collect at 1-410-902-8011.

Please make note of the claim number assigned by the claims adjuster. All claims must be reported immediately following the loss, but in no event later than 20 days following the date of the loss.

You will also need to complete the Car Rental Loss Report and forward it back to the Risk Management office. It explains the process that is typically followed for this type of claim.

Please call David Armanini at 475-2040 or feel free to stop by the office in the Eastman Bldg., Room 4008 if you have any questions about this process or if you are experiencing any difficulty in resolving your claim with the insurance company or car rental agency.

At times your job duties at RIT may require that you operate a motor vehicle. Please review the materials on this page to familiarize yourself with your driver and/or departmental responsibilities. 

• RIT Vehicle & Driver Safety Procedures
• Motorized Utility Cart (Golf Cart) Agreement
• Golf Cart Training
• If an Accident Happens
• Rental Car Accidents (above)
• Use of Personal Vehicle (below)
• Approved Charter Bus Companies

According to RIT's travel policy, RIT advises the use of your personal automobile only if the itinerary or other aspects of Institute business make it the most practical method of travel. A personal vehicle is recommended for local travel within a radius of approximately 100 miles from RIT. Mileage reimbursement should be claimed by the employee for such use. RIT strongly discourages faculty and staff from driving RIT students in their personal vehicles.

RIT maintains a fleet of vans for Institute use and RIT's Transportation Dept. can make arrangements with commercial transportation vendors when travel involves a group of RIT employees and/or students. Only approved charter companies should be hired. RIT encourages faculty/staff to utilize these services whenever practical for the nature of the travel.

Insurance Coverage Issues

When it becomes necessary (with department's approval), for a RIT employee to use his/her own car for RIT business travel, the employee's personal auto insurance policy is the primary insurance coverage. In the event of an accident, this insurance should respond to bodily injury or property damage claims made by third parties. It may also cover the physical damage to the employee's car if the employee has elected to maintain that type of coverage. Any deductibles become the responsibility of the employee.

RIT maintains a business auto liability policy that provides excess liability coverage for third party claims arising out of business travel. This coverage is triggered after limits are exhausted under the employee's personal auto insurance policy. RIT's auto insurance policy is not intended to cover damage to the employee's personal auto nor will RIT pay for the employee's deductible expense incurred as a result of the accident.

In the event of an accident involving the use of an employee's personal vehicle on Institute business, please report this accident to your supervisor and the Risk Management Office as soon as possible, x5-2040.