Two hundred and forty two (242) Pickitup truck drivers have completed their free defensive driving course in Johannesburg. The course offered to the employees was made possible through the partnership and agreement between Pickitup and Road Accident Fund (RAF).
Department of Environment and Infrastructure Services (DEIS) MMC Nico de Jager said the training aims to empower Pickitup drivers.
“Drivers are empowered to prevent and avoid accidents in the congested streets of the City of Johannesburg. Pickitup drivers acquired skills including driving in a manner that uses safe driving strategies to identify road hazards in a predictable manner. To ancitipate potential accident situations and making informed decisions to avoid accidents”, Jager.
Jager added that overcoming negative psychological factors such as stress, fatigue, emotional distress and road rage was one of the skills acquired by the drivers. He says there were also instructions for developing a positive attitude behind the wheel and increasing their focus on the driving task.
“The cost for three sessions training was R150 000 and the amount was paid by the RAF. The 242 Pickitup drivers who completed the training are additional to the 1 100 public drivers. They have already received the defensive driving training offered by RAF”, he said.
Jager offered the training as part of its pro-active strategy to enable drivers to avoid road accidents. He said the ultimate delivery is quality and timely service to the residents.
