Passengers should be van drivers’ top priority – Police

In the wake of the recent accident in Georgetown that claimed the life of a four-year-old child, head of the Eastern Division, Superintendent Richard Browne is pleading with van drivers to exercise more diligence on the roads.

“Van drivers ought to take their time on the road. Not because the vehicle is their personal vehicle, they have to understand that their passengers are their top priority,” Browne told SEARCHLIGHT earlier this week.{{more}}

His comments came following the death of McKayla Abbott, who was reportedly struck by the door of a moving minivan, then crushed on April 20, as she and the conductor stood outside, about to board the bus.

According to Browne, minivan operators must ensure that all reasonable courtesies and care should be taken when transporting passengers.

“While it is their livelihood to make a dollar, it is the passengers lives they have in their hands. They have to be very careful,” Browne stressed.

Browne noted that he is aware that on many occasions, van drivers do not allow their passengers to be seated before they drive off.

“This case with the child bore a more serious result. There are other persons who would have been injured and who escaped injuries. These van drivers, in order to try and make a quick dollar, try to move quickly and have this rat race going on between them and the lives of their passengers are at risk,” he noted.

“Before you move off, make sure all passengers are properly seated and that the door is closed. That would assist them in knowing that all passengers are in the vehicle,” Browne further stressed.

Investigations are continuing into that matter.(KW)