Retraining proposed for PPV operators should apply to all motorists, says Newman

By Nakinskie Robinson   

 

President of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services, Egerton Newman, has welcomed the government's decision which will require public passenger vehicle operators to be retrained and recertified, but he is also calling for similar requirements for all motorists.

 

Following a meeting of the National Road Safety Council on Thursday, Transport Minister Daryl Vaz proposed that drivers participate in an online and in-person course before being licensed to operate a PPV.

 

Mr. Vaz said the measure will also ensure that drivers coming into the public transportation system are qualified.

 

Mr. Newman has suggested other measures, such as enforcement and an emphasis on defensive driving, which he believes could strengthen the impact of the announced policy.

 

"My belief [is] that next two years from now, any public passenger vehicle owner who is going to renew their licence, they must show a certificate from a reputable training institution that they have completed at least four-day training. Knowledge is important in public transportation and in driving on a whole. You have people who don't know the road code, can't read the road code, can't read the road signs and they are driving? No." 

 

He also called for the relevant stakeholders to urgently create safer roadways for the motoring public.

 

"We don't have safe roads. We don't have safe space to drive. And we need to look at that seriously. We are hopping over it and talking about enforcement and cameras. If you don't have safe roads, you cannot have an accident free or a crash free country. It's impossible to have an accident free country, but we can reduce road deaths by 40-50% in the next 12 months. We are focusing on 25% now. We have an everyday programme in TODSS focusing on road safety among our members and the wider motoring public, but we need to have safe space for our motorists," he asserted.