PUV drivers undergo refresher course at LTO

MANILA, Philippines - A number of public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers in Metro Manila are undergoing a refresher course and are actually attending a “driving academy” for free, officials said yesterday.

Under a program of the Land Transportation Office-National Capital Region (LTO-NCR), PUV drivers in the metropolis have been invited to undergo a two-day program that aims to educate drivers and eventually reduce the number of road accidents.

“It’s not a traditional school in the sense that there is no permanent structure where the classes are held. But it is a school because it actually has a curriculum,” LTO-NCR director Teofilo Guadiz III told The STAR in an interview.

Based on the “Safe and Responsible Driving Course” outline provided by Guadiz, drivers are reviewed on traffic signs and other road markings.

PUV drivers are also taught “techniques of defensive driving,” “elements of defensive driving,” and other topics like “six conditions that may lead to accidents” and even “standard accident prevention formula.”

Guadiz noted that while the government has provided free seminars to PUV drivers, the seminars are just to those whose vehicles have already been involved in serious accidents. 

“This is a more pro-active approach since we are educating them (drivers) for them to avoid getting involved in traffic accidents,” Guadiz said.

He said the program is not mandatory and is only offered to local transport organizations in every city in Metro Manila.

“This is not a requirement but it is something many operators and drivers are looking forward to,” he said.

Guadiz said the “driving academy” holds classes during weekends, with the drivers actually getting certificates following the two-day course.

The LTO official said the program started three weeks ago in Makati, where jeepney drivers attended the course, followed by PUV drivers in Las Piñas and Parañaque. The district offices under the LTO-NCR are the ones facilitating the free classes, even providing snacks to the students.

Guadiz said the program was prompted by road accidents happening all over the metropolis involving PUV drivers.

“In Metro Manila alone, there were already 5,021 vehicular accidents reported from January to June 2012. The (Highway Patrol Group) pointed the reasons for such accidents included driver error, vehicular defects, and bad road conditions,” he said.

Guadiz said the program will “make a lot of difference” among PUV drivers, saying they hope to reduce road accidents by at least 20 percent.