50 St Andrew High School students take road code test

Approximately 50 students at St Andrew High School for Girls sat the road code test on Tuesday, becoming the first Corporate Area institution and the first all-girls school to take the test.

Administered by the Island Traffic Authority (ITA), the test is a requirement under the new Road Traffic Act for persons to be granted a provisional driver’s licence (learner’s permit).

Students in grades 12 and 13 sat the test at the school’s Cecelio Avenue address in St Andrew.

They were  required to submit a medical certificate, proof of address, and a tax registration number (TRN) to sit the test, which was facilitated by officers from the ITA’s Swallowfield Examination Depot.

In preparation for the test, the students benefited from sensitisation in safe and responsible driving practises through the  Learner Driver Education Programme being undertaken by the ITA’s Road Safety Unit (RSU).

Information Officer, Dontae Matthews, said the programme is part of the Authority’s mandate to promote safe road use, particularly among the youth.

“Our statistics have shown that young people (aged 15 to 35) account for a lot of the road fatalities that we have seen. We want to help to prevent injuries [and fatalities],” he said.

Matthews said the programme covers topics such as proper overtaking, causes of collisions, defensive driving, the importance of obeying the speed limits, among other things.

“These are things that will help them to navigate the roadways safely… .  It is very important that we start educating them at an early age. We try to give them information that will equip them for the future,” he said.

Principal of St Andrew High School, Keeva Ingram, said the partnership with the ITA is critical in enabling the students to develop the important life skill, and to learn to drive responsibly.

“I am very happy that my girls are the first all-girls school in Kingston to be experiencing this… .  One of the things that we are big on here is leadership development, and any skill that can help my girls in that pursuit of leadership is great for them,” she said.

Deputy Head Girl, Shanelle Muirhead, who received her driver’s licence in February of last year, was instrumental in driving the school’s participation in the initiative.

“It came about because of the need that the young ladies have to be able to drive and to be educated on the road code. It is very important for the ladies to be well equipped for the future,” she said.

To date, 10 schools have participated in the initiative, with the others located in St Ann, Westmoreland, Trelawny, Clarendon, and St Catherine.

- JIS News

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