TO IMPROVE the skills of drivers and prevent a repeat of road accidents, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) said it will be giving free weekly driving seminars to them every Saturday.
LTO Chief Virginia Torres said they decided to come up with the program to ensure that drivers, especially of public utility vehicles (PUV), are knowledgeable about driving and troubleshooting.
“The seminar is voluntary and open to all drivers. It will be held every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon,” Torres said, adding that they are eyeing whether to make it mandatory to all PUV drivers in the country.
The project is a joint undertaking of the LTO and transport groups to minimize road accidents in the country as showed by the deadly accident in Sablan town, Benguet early this month in which a passenger bus fell to a 150-foot ravine killing some 40 passengers.
It was followed by another incident in the Bicol region wherein a beauty titlist and two of her companions died when their vehicle was rammed by a speeding bus.
Aside from the LTO, experts from the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (Tesda), University of the Philippines Center for Transportation Studies and the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) will also participate in the program.
The seminar will include skills on vehicle maintenance, actual driving, vehicle trouble shooting and even personal hygiene. (AH/Sunnex)