As school reopening is inching closer, these are 10 safety measures the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) requires of motorists and all public service vehicles.
1. Valid Drivers’ licence/ PSV badge
As one of the basic requirements for any driver, NTSA enforcement officers will be checking for drivers’ licences on the road as schools reopen.
Also, the officers alongside the traffic police will be confirming the validity of the licences and also ensuring that individuals operating public transport vehicles have genuine Public Service Vehicle (PSV) badges with them.
2. Vehicle Inspection Certificate
Also, during the back-to-school travels, officers will be checking for the inspection certificates on vehicles on the road.
Additionally, you should ensure you have a valid road service licence (RSL) in the vehicle just in case it is required during the course of your journey.
3. Speed limiter/governor
For public service vehicles transporting passengers to their destinations, NTSA enforcement and traffic police officers may require that you have installed a speed limiter.
Similarly, the limiter should be able to control the vehicle’s speed, record and store speed data for 72 hours and record and transmit data to both the vendor and NTSA every 5 seconds.
4. Vehicle tyres
While it is common practice to check your vehicle tyres every time before you embark on a journey, NTSA emphasises the need to pay extra attention to ensure there is enough tread on them, they have enough pressure and the sidewalls are not damaged.
Also, you should look out for bulging signs on the tyres and ensure there are no vibrations in the vehicle.
5 Brakes
Arguably the most important feature in a vehicle, drivers are advised to ensure their brakes are in proper working conditions.
Additionally, drivers should take extra caution when the roads get slippery as this would mean they should increase their following/braking distance.
6. Side Mirrors
Drivers should ensure their side and rear-view mirrors are in tip-top condition as these are small components of the vehicle that could mean life or the destruction of it.
Of equal note is that the drivers should observe intense awareness of their vehicles’ blindspots to avoid accidents.
7. Seatbelts
While the seatbelts in a number of PSVs are loosely hanging and dragging on the dirty floors, they could save lives in case of an accident. Drivers should ensure their cars have functional seatbelts.
8. Lights in working condition
Poor visibility is one of the main causes of accidents. For this reason, as a driver, you should ensure that your vehicle’s headlights, indicators and tail-lights are in good working condition.
Confusion in the functioning of the vehicle’s lights could turn into a grisly road accident.
9. No excess passengers
As the schools reopen, many vehicle operators could be tempted to overload or carry beyond the stipulated number of passengers in a particular vehicle category.
This could not only lead to you getting fined but greatly affect the handling of the vehicle.
10. Ensure no body parts are hanging outside the vehicle
Students can be cheeky, as a driver or a vehicle operator, ensure all the passengers are well seated within the vehicle and no body parts of any passenger are outside of the vehicle.