Carreras, JAA ‘pleased’ with results of Safe Driver programme
SINCE FEBRUARY 2023, CARRERAS Limited has partnered with the Jamaica Automobile Association (JAA) to equip its fleet drivers with the requisite skills and training to be responsible and cautious road users under an initiative dubbed the Safe Driver programme.
Under the company’s new driver-assessment programme - administered by the JAA Driving Academy since 2021 - all new fleet drivers are assessed externally before a fleet vehicle is assigned. However, with the new two-year Safe Driver programme, the JAA Driving Academy offers defensiv-driver trainings and assessments to fleet drivers in an effort to promote improved road safety, a release noted.
Addressing the rationale for the initiative, managing director Franklin Murillo said the safety of employees is at the top of the company’s agenda. “In addition to creating a secure and healthy workspace for our employees, we always seek to put measures in place that will protect our workforce from injury and accidents while they are operating on the nation’s roadways.”
As a result of this, he says “we have decided that the company’s key performance indicator (KPI) for 2023 is a 100 per cent reduction in ‘at fault’ accidents and a 50 per cent reduction in fleet accidents compared to the 2022 numbers”.
“Eighty per cent or 41 out of a total of 51 fleet drivers have been trained under JAA’s Advanced Defensive Driver Programme to date, and we are very pleased with the results. We have seen a drastic reduction in motor vehicle accidents and have gotten countless positive feedback on how beneficial the trainings have been to the drivers whenever they encounter challenging situations on our roadways,” he said.
“There is no doubt that we will be extending the two-year partnership with JAA as a result of these outcomes,” he added further.
REAL-WORLD SCENARIOS
Under the programme, each fleet driver undertakes one full day of hands-on training in realworld scenarios in a safe and controlled environment at the JAA’s headquarters located at 7 Central Avenue, Swallowfield, in Kingston.
The robust trainings include a practical road assessment, a virtual driving simulator training, and an interactive classroom training. Once each driver has completed all areas of training satisfactorily, they are awarded a certificate of successful completion by the JAA.
Carreras prides itself on being one of the first companies to come on board the Jamaica Automobile Association’s Driver Improvement programme and vows to an ongoing partnership, the release further noted.
JAA manager Gheildon Wright said, “The Jamaica Automobile Association (JAA) is one of the premier auto clubs in Jamaica which provides unique member services and is the source for vital information about safe road use and practices for road users and its members across the island”. The company is recognised and respected islandwide for its driver-education programmes and has trained thousands of drivers in Jamaica over the last decade.
“JAA is more than happy to partner with Carreras Limited. We will do everything in our power to keep Carreras’ road accident numbers down while playing our part in reducing fatal crashes on our nation’s roads and enabling a safer transportation system for all,” he continued.
The island’s new Road Traffic Act came into effect on February 1 2023. It is part of measures by the Government to curb reckless driving practices on the island’s roadways and, ultimately, reduce road fatalities. According to the 2022 Road Safety Unit Traffic Crash Report, a record 488 persons died as a result of motor vehicle crashes last year. This number surpassed the 2021 tally of 487 road fatalities. Since the start of 2023, over 120 persons have lost their lives in vehicular accidents and the numbers are on the rise. The company notes that “while the increased penalties of the new Road Traffic Act may serve as a deterrent to poor driving practices on our roadways”, the initiative is Carreras’ response to the Government’s “call for stakeholders and citizens to play their part in curbing the growing number of road crashes and deaths islandwide”.