How will traffic incidents hurt me?

[Charity]

I'm going to be starting an EMT program in the fall, and here's what I'm worried about:

-About two months after I got my license (16 y/o), I got in a car accident at a 4 way intersection that had no stop lights or stop signs. Later, after the accident, the city put up stop signs . Despite the fact that the other car hit me, my mom mentioned something to the cop that made it sound like I was driving recklessly, and so it got put on the record as my fault. No one was hurt, insurance didn't go up, and I only lost 1 point.
-A few months later at 17, I got a speeding ticket and lost 2 points. Stupid of me, I know, and I definitely have no excuses, but it happened.

I live in Colorado, for reference. Since those times, I have never so much as gotten pulled over. By the time I finish my EMT cert, it will have been 3.5 years with no incidents and when I finish my paramedic cert, it will have been 5-6. If I have no more incidents, which I won't...how much is this going to hurt my chances of finding employment?

 

[Gurby]

The usual type of injuries seen in vehicle-accident victims were cerebral contusion and concussion, while in motorcycle-accident victims, head contusion and fractures. The most common reasons for the accident were excessive speed, poor condition of road, inattention, abstraction or drowsiness and drug effects. A total of 29.8% of motorcycle drivers and 5.7% of motorcycle passengers wore a helmet and 26.3% of car drivers and 14.1% of car passengers were using seatbelts. The identification of road traffic injury patterns can contribute to the development of injury prevention measures and guide rational preventive interventions that can reduce the incidence of these injuries.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16943163

 

[Charity]

The usual type of injuries seen in vehicle-accident victims were cerebral contusion and concussion, while in motorcycle-accident victims, head contusion and fractures. The most common reasons for the accident were excessive speed, poor condition of road, inattention, abstraction or drowsiness and drug effects. A total of 29.8% of motorcycle drivers and 5.7% of motorcycle passengers wore a helmet and 26.3% of car drivers and 14.1% of car passengers were using seatbelts. The identification of road traffic injury patterns can contribute to the development of injury prevention measures and guide rational preventive interventions that can reduce the incidence of these injuries.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16943163

I appreciate the information! Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident I was in. My question was moreso referring to the employment consequences based off my driving record though!

 

[gotbeerz001]

If the company insurance won't cover you, you won't get hired. You may approach the companies in your area and ask what the limits are. "No more than 2 points" is pretty common.

Points usually "drop off" after 3 years but you should get your record printed out to see what others see. Sometimes you need to be proactive in requesting your record to be "cleaned up" if old violations show up.

 

[Charity]

If the company insurance won't cover you, you won't get hired. You may approach the companies in your area and ask what the limits are. "No more than 2 points" is pretty common.

How long will the points last? Is it 2 lifetime points or 2 points in a certain number of years?

 

[Gurby]

I appreciate the information! Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident I was in. My question was moreso referring to the employment consequences based off my driving record though!

Sorry, couldn't help myself!

 

[Chimpie]

Points dropping off vary by state. Your best bet would be to pull your traffic record. If there are any points still active, you can discuss it with those providing you with the report. They should be able to give you all the information you need.

 

[Charity]

I found this for AMR, which is the primary 911-ambulance service in my area (first page covers driving record): http://www.mendocinocountyduilawyer.com/pdf/AMREmplPol.pdf

It seems that even if my violations were in the past 36 months, I would still be eligible for hire (probably just not preferable ), but since they would be over 3.5 years old at the time of hire, I don't think they'd be completely expunged, but it certainly doesn't show a pattern.

 

[gotbeerz001]

Good luck. In the end, the answers lie with your hiring agency and your DMV.