The Motor Vehicles department (MVD) is planning to introduce a compulsory training with focus on social responsibility for private bus drivers in the wake of the increasing road accidents in Kozhikode district.
A week-long safety assessment campaign conducted by the MVD team that exposed a series of dangerous driving habits of young drivers on the road is also instrumental for immediately considering a focussed training session.
The plan of the department is to initially cover drivers below the age of 30 for the proposed training session. MVD officials who were part of the recent safety audit under the MVD’s enforcement wing say the majority of drivers are below the age of 25 who will have to be trained in a better way to make them aware of a socially responsible job on the road.
About 10,000 drivers are likely to be covered under the initiative in a phased manner in Kozhikode district. The training facilities at the Institute of Driver Training and Research (IDTR) at Edappal in Malappuram district will be used for the purpose. MVD officials led by Regional Transport Officer (Enforcement) K. Bijumon have already held discussions with private bus operators to ensure their cooperation in the drive.
It was after a recent private bus accident claiming the lives of a couple that prompted the MVD enforcement wing to carry out a serious audit in the field and check the behavioural issues of private bus drivers. In the field-level assessment, it was found that about 65 per cent of the total private drivers were below the age of 25. They were also found to be frequently involved in road accidents.
According to MVD officials, enforcement actions have also been intensified against rash and reckless driving. Within a year, the licenses of eight drivers who were involved in causing road accident deaths were suspended. This was apart from the suspension of more than 500 licences for other charges such as speed limit violations, misuse of mobile phones, overloading, and drunk driving.
Welcoming the decision of the MVD to conduct training sessions for drivers, the functionaries of the private bus operators’ association said there should be arrangements to conduct the sessions in Kozhikode district itself. They also pointed out that the violations on the part of the drivers were mostly affecting their income from the business.
