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BY HERBERT VEGO
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A STEP in the right direction is the move of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to attract students to enroll in motor-vehicle driving. In fact, driving is one of the favored courses available at its training centers and accredited vocational schools.
In a powwow with this writer, Regional Director Toni June Tamayo revealed a surprising finding that emerged out of TESDAâs year-end regional consultation with its provincial directors and heads of technical-vocational schools.
Driving as a course, Tamayo revealed, has now the most number of enrollees in Iloilo, edging out such previous favorites as welding, computer servicing and automotive. Consequently, TESDA would be compelled to offer more scholarships in professional driving. The 118-hour course Driving NC II would also enable students to perform minor vehicle repairs.
Thatâs good news indeed. But let me say at this juncture that while there are many schools for student drivers in the region, only one has a driving track â Passi Trade School in Passi City. There ought to be more such schools, if only to spare learners from worming through hazardous traffic on public roads; and also to attract others who lack the guts.
The plain truth is that, more often than not, already-licensed drivers may have the guts but not the mastery of traffic rules and regulations. As a result, avoidable accidents often happen, sending drivers and riders to either the hospital or the cemetery.
Data from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) shows upward trend in the number of road accidents. The previous year 2015 saw 24.565 vehicular accidents reported, resulting in 1,040 deaths. Thatâs very alarming when compared to the 2014 record of 15,272 accidents. Expect the number to rise much higher by the end of the current year.
The aforesaid figures notwithstanding, the LTO has only succeeded in making it easier and faster for new motorists to acquire a driving license after attending a driving seminar and passing a multiple-choice written exam without actual test driving. How then could it âpreviewâ new drivers on the road?
As logged in the records of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the top causes for road crashes include bad turning, bad overtaking, overspeeding, poor road conditions, mechanical defects, drunk driving and distracted driving (as in using mobile phones while on the wheel).
Many of such accidents could have been avoided had motorists learned defensive driving. In defensive driving, the driver thinks of the safety of not just himself but also of his passengers, of the other motorists on the same road and of the pedestrians.
For example, let us take China, which strictly requires student drivers to train in accredited driving schools where students have to pay attention to classroom instructors. Otherwise they would fail the 100-question quiz.
The second part is driving for at least 54 non-straight hours on a ground that mimics actual roads and traffic conditions. The trainee sits side-by-side with an instructor who teaches him all the required skills, including driving through a 30-meter obstacle course.
I have yet to observe how TESDAâs instructors comport themselves beside their students on wheels. I can only cite the skills that they hope to impart, such as: moving and positioning of vehicle; obeying traffic rules and regulations; and performing vehicle maintenance. A national certificate of completion will only be issued to trainees who pass competency assessment.
Given sufficient logistical support, TESDA would eventually be in a position to require all bus and jeepney drivers to undergo assessment prior to renewal of driving license. To date, the agency has certified almost 4,000 bus drivers nationwide. /PN
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