How legal are public service vehicle drivers
From over speeding and exceeding their maximum speed limits to running away from police in a ‘movie style’ way to getting really nasty and urinating on pedestrians. These are kombi drivers in Harare. My worst encounter is when I board a kombi and the driver begins to move his vehicle before I can even take a seat and the the free seats are available only at the back.
Such inconsiderate acts by kombi drivers can be attributed to immaturity. Imagine a lady or man old enough to be their own parent being made to fiddle her way to a seat just because the driver is rushing to beat the kombi behind him to get passengers? That is lack of respect at its highest degree. The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) through its information campaign in the press is sharing the Road Traffic Act regulations with road users. In a statement, ‘How legal are Public Service Vehicle drivers?’ published in the Herald of Monday 26 March, 2012 by TSCZ interprets regulations in the Statutory Instrument 168 of 2006 which a driver should adhere to before driving a public service vehicle.
A Public Service Vehicle driver:
- must have proof of five (5) years continuous experience before driving a public service vehicle thus those who obtained their driver’s licences in March 2007 and before (at the time of writing this article)
- must undergo a re-testing exercise after each period of 5 years
- must be a holder of a Defensive Driving Certificate issued only by the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe which is valid for a period of four (4) years
- must be examined by a Government Medical Officer and be issued wit a medical certificate which is valid for a period of one (1) year - must display at all time, while driving a PSV: a valid defensive driving certificate and a valid medical certificate
Drivers are to charged accordingly under the various sections depending on the crime committed. Drivers who fail to produce any of the above requirements will either be fined or face imprisonment for six months or both. Those who are convicted of negligence driving or driving without due care in the first offence shall be prohibited from driving for six months and in the second offence with a period of 5 years have their licence cancelled. Operators who employ under-qualified drivers are also liable to prosecution under the Road Motor Transportation Act.
The TSCZ should now get this message to the kombi drivers. They should hold awareness campaigns, for example road shows at kombi ranks like Copacabana or Fourth Street rank to get the message out there.
We have to put an end to accidents on our roads caused be negligent driving. If you would like to get more clarity on any issue related to road safety contact the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) on marketing [at] trafficsafety [dot] co [dot] zw or 04-751203/8.