KOCHI: If you think that drivers of heavy vehicles, especially school bus drivers, are well aware of the traffic rules, it is time to re-think. Shockingly, an awareness class conducted by the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) on Saturday for drivers of vehicles operated by educational institutions showed that most of the school bus drivers have little knowledge about the traffic rules. Some of the drivers were not even able to explain what the yellow, red and green signals indicate. The awareness class held at SCMS College was attended by around 215 drivers from various schools and colleges in Kochi.
It was a disappointing experience for MVD officials when many drivers failed to explain the significance of the white and yellow lines on the road. Only a very few drivers were able to answer the questions. The training programme for drivers of vehicles of educational institutions vehicle, organised by the MVD in association with the SCMS Group-Kalamassery, was inaugurated by Transport Commissioner Tomin J Thachankary. “It seems that it is the age factor that is playing the villain, with most of the drivers being aged above 50. We conduct such awareness classes to create awareness among drivers on traffic rules,” said Ernakulam RTO K M Shaji. Joint RTO Adarshkumar G Nair said, “we have been conducting such programmes since last year, and as a result no accidents involving educational institution vehicles were reported in 2015. Children often consider bus drivers as their heroes, and tend to imitate them.”