Driving Instructors – What are learners being taught? – Part 2
More on the topic of how driving instructors and the way they are teaching learners to drive, may be related to the high prevalence of road accidents.
We spoke to Cape Town City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, regarding this issue.
Q. Do you think the requirements needed in order to legally operate as a driving instructor are sufficient?
Driving schools are regulated in terms of the National Road Traffic Act. The City of Cape Town is liaising with the relevant authority to increase regulations and the enforcement thereof for driving schools to ensure proper standards.
Q. Do you feel that some kind of overseeing body, for which all instructors should be required to be a member of, would be beneficial? (Such as SAIDI). Ensuring that a consistent standard of driving is taught?
The City of Cape Town would support any practical measures aimed at improving the standards/regulation of driving schools as this would also have an impact on the quality of drivers on our roads.
Q. Having a requirement such as this might make it harder for instructors who operate illegally, if the public is made aware that instructors need this certification.
Do you think that there is a problem with driving instructors who operate illegally and generally don’t teach a high enough standard?
The driving school industry does have some pitfalls, including operators who do not have the necessary qualifications and whose vehicles are not up to code. This is why we underscore the fact that would-be drivers must be very careful in deciding which driving school or operator they use as a service provider.
Q. Do you think the large number of road accidents and deaths on South African roads are influenced in any significant manner by this lack of quality driving instruction?
I believe that more should be done to improve driver and vehicle fitness as well as the behaviour of road users. This includes ensuring more stringent requirements for obtaining a driving licence, clamping down on those involved in fraudulently obtaining driving permits, and imposing harsher sanctions on those who are caught breaking the law. There are a number of proposals that the City has put forward.
One such example is impounding the vehicles of drivers caught participating in illegal street races. Unfortunately we have no legislative power in this regard and are simply mandated to enforce the provisions of the National Road Traffic Act and other legislation.
Q. What do you think is the biggest contributing factor, making the roads of South Africa so dangerous?
The belief that people will not get caught, which results in the kind of hooligan behaviour we see on a daily basis, and the inefficiencies of the criminal justice system in dealing with those who are.
More info on how to legally operate as a driving instructor, as well as the benefits of becoming a member of SAIDI can be found here.
For the first part of this story and interview with the President of SAIDI.