The culture of the motoring public in T&T is not changing, despite the increasing number of road deaths. And according to Transport Commissioner Wayne Richards, this inability to change is a “bad thing.”
Speaking at the launch of Transportation Standards for T&T at Goodwill Industries, Fitzblackman Drive, Woodbrook, yesterday, Richards again urged: “We need to drive within the speed limit and we need to speak to our friends, family and children to drive within the speed limit.”
The programme, which is a collaborative between the National Training Agency (NTA) and the Institute of Defensive Driving (IDD), was rolled out to relevant stakeholders in the industry, including the Licensing Division, the Ministry of National Security, insurance companies and the private transport for schools association.
Chairman of the IDD, Byron Thomas, explained that although several institutions, such as Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC), the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) and the Defence Force, have already employed the IDD’s services more public and private sector participation was needed.
Revealing that the programme was new as it sought to train motorists in advanced driving operations, Thomas added it was being offered as a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) certification course by the NTA.
Calling on the Government to lead the way by introducing the programme into its respective ministries, Thomas said the small group of 15 retirees who run the programme were ready and willing to share their time and expertise with interested people.
Stressing the IDD’s instructors were highly trained and qualified personnel, Thomas said they were seeking to attract younger instructors to their complement of staff.
Adding that interested members of the public can access the course for $500, Thomas said the focus would be to “equip an individual with the skills and underpinning knowledge to drive safe and responsibly on the roads.”
He said: “You will also be able to apply the skills and knowledge you learn when you get behind the wheel of a vehicle. This is a skills competency programme that will assess an individual’s capability.”
He said insurance companies also had a role to play as they should make it mandatory for all drivers to now acquire a defensive driving certificate before applying for coverage.
Pointing out that licensing officials also had a role to play in examining younger drivers, Thomas said:
“These instructors are not trained to teach, coach and assess people at the same time. It is a business and they push them through as quickly as possible, without the skills, without the knowledge, without the attitude, without the understanding of the process as to what is involved.”
However, that was disputed by Richards who responded that while “we support the programme, it has to be noted that the Transport Commissioner and the men who test drivers, under me, are certified so therefore the learning public will get that benefit.”