FRSC COMMENCES COMPULSORY TRAINING FOR GOVERNORS’ CONVOY DRIVERS

Worried by the spate of road traffic crashes across the country; involving convoy drivers of Governors and other public officers, the Federal Road Safety Corps has concluded plans for a nationwide training programme for Governors’ convoy drivers from 28 November- 11 December, 2011, in collaboration with the Governors’ forum.

  According to the Corps, the nationwide exercise which is necessitated by the urgent need to inject order and sanity in the operation, will take place in the 6 geo-political zones of the country will expose participants to modern driving techniques of convoy drivers to conform with global best practise on convoy driving with focus on Defensive Driving Techniques, sharing the roads with other road users, Convoy Driving techniques, driving under special driving condition, security driving techniques, executive protection techniques among other topics, which will qualify participating convoy drivers with the new “V” class of drivers’ license.

Further details of the programme which comes in two phases indicate that the first phase will take place in Enugu and Owerri (South East),  Oshogbo and Ibadan (South West), North East in Gombe and Jalingo and the North Central zone taking place at Makurdi and Lokoja.  The second phase is slated for the North West in Kaduna and Sokoto while the South South zone will be hosted in Asaba and Portharcourt.

In a related development, the FRSC has stepped up its drive to ensure minimum safety standard in the activities of commercial drivers in the country by  introducing a certificate of professional competence training programme  for Drivers (CPCD).   Under this arrangement, every holder of the commercial driver’s licence should have a minimum of three (3) hours of training in a year for three years which translates to having 9 hours of training in three years to qualify for a commercial driver’s licence or renewal; applicants must go through at least 9 hours of training within a three year period.

This initiative; according to the Corps is to consolidate on the on-going compulsory medical certification for all commercial drivers in the country. Acuity test as well as blood pressure, epilepsy, blood sugar level among others, are being  accessed by qualified medical doctors already selected across the country. This medical certification forms  part of the requirement for issuance and / or renewal of commercial driver’s licence.

Pursuant to its statutory mandate and compliance with a Presidential directive, the FRSC  is also documenting details on vehicle with flashers and beacon lights as well as ambulances nationwide as part of measures to address present security challenges in the country which has necessitated the need for  extra attention to be taken on  issues bothering on vehicle details.