Jonathan Grant High students learning road code, defensive driving

Master automotive teacher at the school, Tracy-Ann Hall, told JIS News that more than 50 students, along with eight staff members, are being exposed to the new Road Traffic Act and rudiments of defensive driving.

Noting that the new legislation has “changed the entire process of persons getting driver’s licences”, she said the institution sought and secured support from the Island Traffic Authority (ITA) to assist in familiarising students with various aspects of road safety and the governing rules.

The institution has also joined the Road Safety Education in Schools Programme, which is among measures being utilised by the authorities to make the roadways safer for motorists and pedestrians.

Miss Hall said the curriculum’s content included inputs designed to “make a good, rounded driver, adding that, “I am looking to take the programme to other high schools in St. Catherine [and] guiding teachers to establish similar [initiatives]”.

The educator underscored the need for drivers to exercise patience on the roads, citing speeding among the factors contributing to motor-vehicle accidents, while encouraging pedestrians, especially children, to exercise caution when traversing the roadways.

Information Officer at the Road Safety Unit (RSU), Dontae Matthews, said Jonathan Grant High’s initiative was well-aligned with the entity’s road-safety efforts, while noting that special focus is being placed on reducing road fatalities in St. Catherine.

“I am pleased that they have a club, and they are being supplied with the necessary information by the RSU,” he indicated.

Under the new Road Traffic Act, persons seeking to obtain a provisional driver’s licence (learner’s permit), must take a road code test before it is granted.

They must also successfully complete another test within six months to obtain a driver’s licence.