Rays of hope promise future reduction in road fatalities
Published:Thursday | December 28, 2023 | 12:10 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
The Island Traffic Authority (ITA) has indicated that a massive testing cohort, who recently sat the written exam to qualify for provisional (learner’s) driver’s licences, signals a ray of hope and is a stark representation of how serious and willing Jamaicans are to help reduce road crashes and fatalities on the nation’s roads.
The recent sitting involving more than 100 test takers was spearheaded by the Clarendon-located Glenmuir High School’s Driver’s Education Programme at the school’s Sydney Scott Auditorium. The group included students, members of all levels of staff, and parents.
Last October, the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) donated a 2017 Toyota Passo to steer the driver education programme.
Referencing more than 400 road fatalities across the island since the start of the year, Dontae Matthews, education and information officer at the ITA, said he was pleased at the number.
“I think persons are realising the madness that’s going on on the roadways, and they want to ensure that they understand how to use the roads properly, because when they do this test, they are learning,” said Matthews.
“This is the largest testing across the island, and it shows that persons are interested in becoming legal learner drivers, because we have had issues where persons are driving motorcycles and motor cars without a learner’s permit. For example, the Petersfield students who died in a crash … they did not reach the age of eligibility, so it means they didn’t have a learner’s permit,” said Matthews, in reference to a fiery November crash that killed two teens who were travelling on a motorcycle in Petersfield, Westmoreland.
Touted as a catalyst to promote and improve road safety across Jamaica, the driver education programme in high schools commenced in January.
Trailblazers
York Castle High in St Ann, St Jago and Jonathan Grant high schools in St Catherine, and the Clarendon-based Glenmuir High are among the secondary schools which have tapped into the initiative.
“Glenmuir High is actually the first school that has taken the test for the second time in a year. We started in January, so this is the first school with two sets of applicants – one in April, and now, one in December. The first set was over sixty, which was also a high number, and to see teachers and other members of staff coming on board means they’re interested in learning proper driving techniques, and Glenmuir is a trailblazer,” Matthews told The Gleaner, citing Glenmuir’s PTA’s car donation as a significant boost.
Nineteen-year-old sixth-form student Junnell Grinnel beamed with pride as she walked out the room. She shared that it was especially pleasing to have her mother, Kemesha Williams, among the test takers. Williams lauded the school and the PTA, saying, “It’s a good initiative. I’ve always wanted to get my licence. I came to a meeting at the school and I heard about it, and decided I had to sign up,” said Williams, adding, too, that the offerings at the school were more convenient.
In April, Glenmuir’s first cohort of 65 candidates, which included students and members of the academic and ancillary staff, sat the written test to qualify for provisional (learner’s) driver’s licence.
In October, Matthews, of the ITA, noted that Glenmuir had a 100 per cent pass rate and lauded the PTA for delivering on the promise in what, he said, was record time.
At the recent sitting in December, Carla Pitter, a representative of Glenmuir High’s PTA, said the PTA remained committed to support the venture, and the school could possibly see the donation of another vehicle in future.