A day-long training programme for school bus drivers was conducted at Little Angel’s School, MVP Colony, here, on Friday.
The drivers were told about various aspects of safety, new technologies, road rules, First Aid and fire safety. As many as 200 drivers participated in the programme.
Deputy Transport Commissioner S. Venkateswara Rao said the objective of the programme was ensuring safety of children.
Motor Vehicle Inspector M. Butchi Raju gave a PowerPoint presentation on the technologies issues in modern buses and they work, the causes of accidents and how they can be avoided. A Fire Inspector gave a demonstration on the use of a fire extinguisher.
Anakapalle RTO A.H. Khan explained about the road rules and the DTC told the participants about First Aid.
School correspondent M. Venu Mohan explained about the responsibility of school managements in the maintenance of the buses.
Later, addressing the participants, Mr. Venkateswara Rao said the State government was taking stern measures to ensure compliance of road safety rules and thereby reduce accidents. The drivers, who used to be let off with penalties for various violations in the past, were now being prosecuted in courts. Vehicle owners could also be prosecuted for violations like drunken driving and driving without license by the drivers. They could be even sentenced to jail.
The speed limit of school buses has been pegged at 60 km/hr with the installation of speed governors. The licence of those drivers, who tamper with the speed governors and try to exceed the speed limit, would be suspended for a year and the driver and school management would be prosecuted by the court.
He appealed to the drivers not indulge in drunker driving, cell phone driving and driving on the wrong side and put the lives of children in peril. The drivers should also avoid driving when their health condition was bad.
Mr. Venu Mohan attributed a majority of the road accidents to drunken driving and over speeding. He appealed to the drivers to behave decently with children and treat them as their own children. He said the health of their drivers was being periodically checked by the management.
Mr. Khan advised the drivers to follow lane discipline, use hand brakes based on the need and to take adequate precautions at junctions.
