Why drivers need to attend safety seminars?

The recent accident in San Mateo Rizal wherein a Trailer Truck loaded with steel beams plowed into slow moving traffic, instantly killing 4 and injuring more than 10, could have been avoided if the truck driver was armed with enough knowledge of driving safety. Reports say the truck was overloaded and that the brakes failed due to the full load. The downhill terrain was also a contributing factor, combined with the overloading was a recipe for disaster.

As reported, the driver was oblivious that his truck was overloaded. He had one chance to correct the situation when he pulled over and checked his brakes, as he felt that it was failing a few kilometers from the scene of the accident. But he continued on.

This is a clear case of complacency and lack of knowledge of the driver with regards to safety. This is not an unusual case. Most people never attend driving schools when they first learn to drive. The Government road testing is designed to require the achievement of only a basic minimum standard and testing can be done in the smallest of vehicles, yet the resulting license permits operation of much larger ones. That, without saying, that the whole system has so many flaws caused by corruption in the LTO.

This is why safety seminars should be a compulsory, at least to those who drive for a living.

Training ensures that PU drivers are evaluated and rated as competent to operate an assigned vehicle. Many workplaces utilize vehicles that new employees have never driven and could be much larger than what they are familiar with. Some of them were light truck drivers and only became rig drivers out of informal training done by rig drivers who never had formal training themselves. Bad practices are, in effect, passed on to the new drivers.

Specialty training for truck drivers is also as important as the basic minimum course. Courses such as Hazard Avoidance, Safe Backing, Driving in Heavy Rain, Driving with a Heavy Load, Trailer Towing, etc. fill in the gaps in skills and knowledge left from those who informally taught them to drive in the first instance and fully prepares them to drive incident free while performing their duties.

Enlightened organizations like the Ford with the Driving Skills for Life(DSFL) Program is an example of a training program that recognizes the need for safety in driving. Ford sees the lack of driver education especially on safety and provide driver training as an integral part of the orientation and on-boarding process through its DSFL Program.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) also organizes training programs for Public Utility Drivers. But I believe the key to having an effective program is through post evaluation. A documented test should be carried out after training as this document is a key element in demonstration of due diligence by ensuring adequate training.

Over time attitudes, knowledge and skill can erode and may need refreshing. Delivering updated training can reinforce these key elements of safe driving.

Driving is likely the one of the most dangerous activity that a driver has to engage in and individuals who earn a living out of driving deserve every opportunity to learn proven defensive driving fundamentals and safety training that will keep them safe and out of harm's way. I'm sure vehicle incidents are easily so much more expensive that enrolling in a safety training course.