SINGAPORE: A young child suddenly leaps across the street, cyclists who cross into their path, and elderly people who jaywalk on the street are just some of the risks bus drivers face on the road.
Some are already exposed to these risks on the job before they are exposed in the comfort of a class.
A genuine movie of a car’s dash cam footage flashed onto the screen, which showed a toddler immediately scurrying in front of the car as it traveled along a road at night. The car brake in day, and just avoids hitting the baby, who is pursued by a caregiver.
” You can’t control the kid, they don’t know what’s right and wrong, or ( what is ) danger”, said Mr Gabriel Seah, a hazard awareness training and test trainer for transport operator SBS Transit to a room full of bus drivers.
” But what you can control is your awareness, your focus, and the correct motion to take”.
Another circumstance of an elderly person who is crossing the road and is struck by a car is flashed on the screen.
Obviously, there were some groans among the vehicle owners.
He said,” You cannot blame the ah pek (elderly man ) for what he does because two parties commit an unsafe act that led to this accident.” ” If the pilot had scanned the environment, he may have noticed one passing”.
Another movie was captured that involved two vehicles that refused to give way to one another, which resulted in a vehicle accident.
He reiterated:” A bit of compassion on the road makes a big difference. Don’t worry about that for one to two hours; it’s better to be safe than to bring up this sort of unneeded issue.
The lesson is a part of a one-day vehicle captain drive secure refresher course that was launched in August 2022 and aims to emphasize the importance of safe driving for bus drivers.
Held at the Singapore Van Academy at the Devan Nair Institute For Employment And Employability, over 4, 000 vehicle officers, which includes about 40 per cent of lively bus drivers, have been through the training, which even includes “scenario based testing” on vehicle models.