Traffic head calls for revamp of driving lesson methods

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Head of the Traffic Department, Superintendent Rodney Ellis (file photo)
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by Carlena Knight

[email protected]

Head of the Traffic Department, Superintendent Rodney Ellis, has publicly shown his support for updating the methods used to teach people to drive.

Ellis also outlined a few suggestions for doing so.

“What we are seeing is that persons are learning to drive in a small car but as soon as they get their license, they are getting an SUV and they cannot manoeuvre that SUV,” he explained.

“We are not telling you what you can buy but, what I believe, until you can manoeuvre that vehicle you shouldn’t drive it.

“We should have grades of license and a period that you would move from that vehicle up to a larger vehicle. In some larger countries you would get your licence to drive, let’s say in the villages, and then when you have some more experience then you can go on the highway. Something like that we have to look at,” Ellis said.

Preventing those learning to drive from entering the city was another area Ellis suggested, along with the possibility of classes being conducted in the evening.

“Persons are teaching these new drivers to drive and they are coming into the city when these persons cannot manoeuvre the vehicles properly.

“The suggestion I would make is that until these persons can manage these vehicles properly, they should not be in the city or up at Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium until you can control that vehicle because it is causing some obstructions,” he said.

“Also, too, teaching persons to drive at night because what I notice is that most of these instructors do their training during the day.

“I am not sure if the laws permit to teach to drive in the night, if not then we will have to make some adjustments to that because learning to drive just in the day, well, you see what can happen there,” Ellis added.

He was speaking on the matter earlier this week as he gave an update on the mid-year statistics for traffic offences and collisions.

More than 6,000 tickets for traffic offences were dished out during the first half of this year, doubling last year’s figure for the same period, while the number of road smashes so far this year has topped 1,000.

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