The theme “Road safety is our collective responsibility” is what inspired heavy vehicle owners and drivers who participated at the Provincial Driver of the Year Competition, which was held at Mkhondeni Testing Grounds in Pietermaritzburg during October Transport Month.
They all spoke in one voice that the project was enhancing and improving their driving skills thereby preventing and reducing crashes in the industry.
The winners were Bongani Mdluli in the Articulated Category, Alfred Njilo in the Rigid Category, Xolani Mtambo in the Light Delivery Vehicle Category and Phillip Ngidi in the Bus Category. The Women’s Category saw Patience Mawela taking the first place.
The winners received trophies, Acer laptops, Acer Iconia 10 inch tablets and Samsung Mini S4 smartphones. The overall winner was Alfred Njilo who received a trophy and 42 inch LG LED HD ready flat screen television. He is pictured here with Senior Manager: Road Safety Thoko Mabaso and Project Coordinator Yuven Singh.
“We are grateful to the Department of Transport for granting us such an opportunity. It does not only improve our driving skills and keep us abreast with the rest of the world, but it also motivates us to prevent road accidents on our roads by adhering to the road safety rules,” said Njilo.
Yuven Singh, who is the Project Manager responsible for the competitions, said: “The project also serves as an incentive for the business sector to invest in advanced driver training thus presenting a sound business case for excellent returns on investment with reduction in maintenance costs and improvement in productivity. This shows that Road Safety is a collective responsibility.”