SAFE NOT SORRY CALLS FOR NEW RESTRAINTS FOR WHEELCHAIRS IN TAXIS
The Birmingham City Coroner has called for the compulsory use of restraints for wheel- chair users in taxis, as well as disability awareness training for drivers, following the tragic death of a 14- year old disabled girl. Coroner Aidan Cotter made his comments after hearing that a hackney carriage driv- er had picked up Razan Begum from Birmingham Chil- dren’s Hospital in February. Razan, who suffered from a “terri- ble illness” which made her spine very fragile, was travelling with her father and her younger sister at the time of the accident. The wheelchair Razan was in was loaded
sideways into the vehi- cle when then set off. Mr Cotter recorded that something then happened to cause the wheelchair to “jerk” and Razan lost consciousness almost immediately. She died two days later despite attempts to save her. According to the Birm- ingham Mail, the Coroner said that nei- ther the cab driver nor her father had commit- ted any criminal offence and there was no suggestion that the driver had driven badly. He recorded a verdict that Razan died as a result of an accident. Taxi driver Ashfaq Hussain said that because of the design of his cab it had been
impossible for him to fit the restraints on the wheelchair as well as carrying two passen- gers. Peter Barrow, head of licensing for Birming- ham City Council, said that Mr Hussain was granted his taxi licence in 2003 and that it only became a requirement for new drivers the fol- lowing year to receive disability training. He added that it would appear to be “common practice” to put wheel- chairs into taxis sideways, and that this did pose a risk.
A growing number of taxi and private hire licensing authorities in the UK require drivers to attend disability awareness training courses; some author-
ities have mandated this requirement, whilst others recom- mend this type of training. The nationally recognised and accredited BTEC has a disability module to incorporate this train- ing.
The National Associa- tion’s local licensing authority, Bury Metro- politan Borough Council, made it a condition of licence that all wheelchair occupants must be carried facing back- wards and correctly restrained after NPHA directors reported a number of sightings of terrified wheelchair passengers being car- ried sideways and moving about unsafely during the journey.
Innovative Slough cab- bie, Shauket Ali, has convinced the council to issue larger licence plates to PHVs and hackney carriages in a bid to help the public distinguish them. It is also aimed at enhancing public safety
SLOUGH ISSUES LARGER PLATES
and well-being, as the vehicles will be clearly identifiable as legally licensed vehicles. HC Association presi- dent Latif Khan told the Slough Midweek: “We welcome this idea which helps both us and the general pulic.”
LIMO FIRMS TO IMPROVE SAFETY
Cllr Bill Cormie has called on limousine operators to stop pas- sengers leaning out of the windows and told the Aberdeen Press and Journal: “The number of limousines has increased dramati- cally over the last few years. But there are concerns about the potential for an acci- dent to occur as a
result of younger pas- sengers leaning out of the windows and shouting at passersby. “It is important that operators ensure that their customers have an enjoyable experi- ence in a safe and secure environment and that it does not pose a risk to other members of the pub- lic.”
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