Only licensed instructors can teach drivers – JCF

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is reminding the public that under the New Road Traffic Act, it is illegal to teach someone to drive unless you are a licensed driving instructor.

The warning is particularly aimed at parents who, traditionally, teach their children how to drive using their personal vehicles. A member of the JCF's Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB), Superintendent Lloyd Darby, has emphasised that the New Road Traffic Act strictly prohibits individuals from teaching others to drive, unless they are licensed instructors or operating within a certified driving school.

"So, no longer can a parent just put an 'L' (learner driver sign) on a vehicle and teach their child to drive," Darby told JIS News. "You have to go through the legal framework of a certified driving school or with a licensed instructor. That is a key element of the new road traffic regulations." Licensed driving schools and instructors must obtain the necessary certification to be authorised to teach individuals how to drive. Darby also emphasised that learner drivers can only drive a vehicle under the supervision of licensed driving instructors.

Meanwhile, Head of the JCF's Constabulary Communication Network, Senior Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay, noted that when parents allow their underage children to drive their vehicles, and they don't have a licence, they are not covered by insurance.

"Then they go out and get into situations, sometimes accidents involving other persons," she said.

"It creates another situation, and in many of those instances, once it can be proven that the parents had knowledge, they, too, can be charged for aiding and abetting in that type of offence," she added.

Lindsay further stressed that even if a parent believes their child can drive, they should not be on the road unless they are properly certified by obtaining a driver's licence through the official channels.