Minors at events; what's the real deal?

[Evo8]

Can we get a consensus on this please?

My son and I drove up from Asheville to Bristol on Sunday to compete. We were told that he could not drive without both parents present, with both of them signing the waiver in front of an SCCA official.

We were also told that, with just one parent present, he could not even be in the event area or ride as a passenger.

I have gone back and re-read the SCCA rules, and it seems to me that one parent on site is all that is needed for a minor to ride; the signatures of both parents is enough to allow them to compete in any one event, and a notarized signature from both parents is enough for them to compete for the calendar year.

Also, it is not clear if a waiver needs to be on file with all of the clubs that one participates with; do we need one for CCR, one for ETR, and one for SCR?

It seems to me that with his mother's signature on the form and me present at the event, he should be able to drive and compete. Today, with just my signature on the form, he should at least have been able to ride along. Can we get a definitive answer on this before we make another 2 1/2 hour round trip?

The officials present today would not allow him to even ride along, which I don't believe is right. What is the real story?

[Crash477]

Sorry you made the long trip and he didnt get to ride, Rick.

Hopefully someone more astute to the rules will respond.

[bikerecker]

I took two of my sons, and two of their friends, to one of the late fall P-sipi events. They all rode along with a couple of my friends, with no issue. Two of them were below 18.
Inconsistency in rules application/enforcement is such a pain.
G

[MARKP]

It is listed on the event schedule and directions page near the bottom. Here's a link: http://www.etrscca.org/soloii/schedule.php

Unfortunately, when things are hectic at events and people are trying to get things going, things to get missed. We strongly encourage everyone to be as informed as possible since this is a competitor policed sport. When in doubt about things related to safety, and, personally, I do consider minors riding in a car a safety issue, please consult one of the safety stewards at the event. We normally identify them at the driver's meeting the morning of the event.

Sorry for the confusion in the past and hopefully this clears things up.

[disneyd]

I'll follow up by saying that I'm sorry for the need for minor waivers. You can blame a society that loves lawsuits.

I don't always think to mention minor waivers to people unless they say they're bringing a child or make some other mention that triggers "minor" in my brain. I know it is not something the average person would think to tell me when we're talking about events. I need to call a fellow back (maybe the original poster here?) about this. I have a voicemail from a fellow who drove down to watch the event and was turned away because a 15 year old was with them.

Here is why they're required. We have to have good insurance or site owners will not let us use their sites because of liability concerns. Our insurance requires the waivers because people under 18 cannot, normally, sign consent for things. Say for example you bring your neighbor's kid with you and sign the waivers. Well, the kid falls and gets hurt. His mom didn't know where he would be and didn't want him at an automotive event. She sues and club and its officers. It's happened (not to us thankfully).

I do believe that SCCA has said (at some point) that one attending parent's signature is good for some things. Wayne, do you know the answer to this one? I'm not sure either about the need for notarization either. I know it was required at one point but I thought it had been dropped.

[85Carrera]

Oh, glad i read this...i need to get one signed for my son to come watch me soon...i noticed the SCCA link was dead @ the form though...can someone get the new one?

[thrdeye]

I took two of my sons, and two of their friends, to one of the late fall P-sipi events. They all rode along with a couple of my friends, with no issue. Two of them were below 18.
Inconsistency in rules application/enforcement is such a pain.
G

If someone is actually running, we ask for a driver's license at registration, so we'll know how old they are.

If they are just riders and don't go through registration there's a good chance no one will catch it. Not much we can do to fix that except card everybody on site, which is not possible.

[thrdeye]

Can we get a consensus on this please?

My son and I drove up from Asheville to Bristol on Sunday to compete. We were told that he could not drive without both parents present, with both of them signing the waiver in front of an SCCA official.

We were also told that, with just one parent present, he could not even be in the event area or ride as a passenger.

I have gone back and re-read the SCCA rules, and it seems to me that one parent on site is all that is needed for a minor to ride; the signatures of both parents is enough to allow them to compete in any one event, and a notarized signature from both parents is enough for them to compete for the calendar year.

Also, it is not clear if a waiver needs to be on file with all of the clubs that one participates with; do we need one for CCR, one for ETR, and one for SCR?

It seems to me that with his mother's signature on the form and me present at the event, he should be able to drive and compete. Today, with just my signature on the form, he should at least have been able to ride along. Can we get a definitive answer on this before we make another 2 1/2 hour round trip?

The officials present today would not allow him to even ride along, which I don't believe is right. What is the real story?

Here's the rule. I'm the guy that works registration when you tried to register.

For competitors, the Minor Waiver form must be signed by both
parents/legal guardians if the minors are to be drivers/passengers.
For non-competitors, the form may be signed by only one parent/
legal guardian on a per-event basis. If signed by both parents/legal
guardians, the form is valid at all Solo events held in that Region for
the remainder of that calendar year unless otherwise notified.

All parent/legal guardian signatures must be witnessed by an adult
SCCA member. The Region may, at its discretion, require that any
form completed off-site be signed and witnessed in the presence of
an adult SCCA member or a Notary.

Copies of the original Minor Waiver form may be used at individual
events or a Minor Photo ID card may be issued by the Region.
Minors may not attend non-spectator events without a properly
completed waiver.

What this means to you.....

Your son can be on site with one signature on a standard wavier. To ride or drive the minor wavier with both parents signatures must be on file. Every region you run with would need one on file.

Now, all of our events are non-spectator, so that' where the "can't be on site" thing comes from. But like Scott and I said, normally, if they stay well away from course, we tend not to say too much about that.

I'm sorry about all this, I really am, and let's not start about how much I LOVE some of the SCCA's rules, but.....we gotta cover our ass.

[Evo8]

To make sure I understand, my son should have been able to ride, not drive, with just my signature on the form; correct?

This is what I thought, but when I questioned whom I thought was the safety steward (?Scott), I was told I'd need both parents PRESENT to sign the form for him to even be able to ride.

If I get a notarized form signed for each region with both parent's signatures and file it with each region once, we would be OK?

[Crash477]

No, it looks like you must have BOTH signatures in order for him to ride or drive.

[Evo8]

Steven: The above says: For non-competitors, the form may be signed by only one parent/ legal guardian on a per-event basis.


Also, for clarification, if the form is signed off-site by one or more of the parents, is notarization necessary for it to be good for one year?

The SCCA site seems to me to indicate that off-site signatures are good for one event, notarized signatures are good for one year.

Am I still missing something?

[Crash477]

Ah, good catch Rick. I only read what Chris summarized. It does say:


For non-competitors, the form may be signed by only one parent/
legal guardian on a per-event basis. If signed by both parents/legal
guardians, the form is valid at all Solo events held in that Region for
the remainder of that calendar year unless otherwise notified.

[Dentspeed]

To make sure I understand, my son should have been able to ride, not drive, with just my signature on the form; correct?

This is what I thought, but when I questioned whom I thought was the safety steward (?Scott), I was told I'd need both parents PRESENT to sign the form for him to even be able to ride.

If I get a notarized form signed for each region with both parent's signatures and file it with each region once, we would be OK?

Steven is right, to ride you have to have both signatures.

One additional topic is single parent families. This came up with my old girlfriend last year. She has full custody and her girls wanted to ride. There is a box to check on the form stating that.

[Crash477]

To make sure I understand, my son should have been able to ride, not drive, with just my signature on the form; correct?

This is what I thought, but when I questioned whom I thought was the safety steward (?Scott), I was told I'd need both parents PRESENT to sign the form for him to even be able to ride.

If I get a notarized form signed for each region with both parent's signatures and file it with each region once, we would be OK?

Steven is right, to ride you have to have both signatures.

One additional topic is single parent families. This came up with my old girlfriend last year. She has full custody and her girls wanted to ride. There is a box to check on the form stating that.

I dont think so anymore Trey. It looks like to be a competitor, therefor entered in teh event, he must have both signatures. But for a non-competitor, one signature will suffice

[Dentspeed]

my head hurts.