Spring Break
GUARD Dogs lowers driver age restriction
Kate Monohan
Issue date: 4/6/09 Section: News
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GUARD Dogs, the acronym standing for Giving UConn A Responsible Driver, provides rides home for students on weekends, as an alternative to impaired driving or walking. GUARD Dogs is available on Friday and Saturday nights from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.
The original age requirement of 21 was in place because of Enterprise Rent-A-Van's rules in renting out the vans to GUARD Dogs, according to Caitlin Cuskley, a 6th-semester psychology major and GUARD Dogs' public relations and promotions officer.
GUARD Dogs has implemented a more stringent process for obtaining driving privileges because of the lowered age. The application is available on the groups' Web site: www.guarddogs.uconn.edu.
"I'm thrilled. They've been working on making this change since GUARD Dogs began," said Jackson Herget, a 4th-semester chemistry major and GUARD Dogs' Sponsorship Officer said.
The stricter requirements ensure younger drivers are of a higher caliber, but will also apply to older drivers, making everyone safer, Cuskley said.
Drivers are taught defensive driving techniques, and next year will take driving instruction from UConn police, Cuskley said.
According to the GUARD Dogs application, drivers must have had their license for two consecutive years, and attended UConn for more than two semesters.
Applicants must also have a clean driving record; this means no convictions for impaired driving, and fewer than three moving violations in the last two years. Drivers cannot have received any tickets within the last six months, nor have any points on their licenses, according to Cuskley.
"We know they have enough experience and a clean driving record," Cuskley said. "From what we've seen already, we haven't seen any difference [with younger drivers]."
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