Lagos Launches Online Driver Training For Professionals

The Lagos State Drivers Institute has finalized plans to begin its online training for professional drivers in the state in order to minimize the spread of the new wave of COVID-19 and meet the need for knowledge among professional drivers.

While appearing on “Ire Ni Ti Wa”, a magazine radio show on Bond FM 92.9, the Institute’s General Manager, Mrs Afusat Tiamiyu, spoke about “The Importance of LASDR Card to Private and Commercial Vehicle Operators.”

It was made clear that professional drivers who needed to renew their LASDRI recertification card could complete their training online and print a temporary recertification certificate at www.new.lasdri.org, according to Mrs Afusat Tiamiyu.

“Professional Drivers can now access and conduct their mandatory training in the comfort of their home through our online platform.

After going through the training, a temporary recertification card will be issued to them immediately, they are to print it and take it to the nearest Centre or Annex of the Institute to get their permanent recertification card.” She went on to say.

While clarifying the recent controversy surrounding the LASDRI Recertification Card, the General Manager stated that both the Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) are both empowered by law to ensure that all professional drivers comply with the Lagos State Government’s directives, which stated that all “professional drivers who earn their living through driving” must attend.

“LASDRI has a curriculum which differs from year to year for drivers to update their driving skills and have an in-depth knowledge of driving rules and regulations,” she stated.

She also stated that a valid Drivers’ License is one of the requirements that any trainee driver must complete and that the LASDRI Recertification Card is not a replacement for a legal Drivers’ License.

Tiamiyu stated that the institute would be building a new annexe shortly at Task Force Office, Bolade, Oshodi, to help reduce the number of trainee drivers visiting the Institute’s Ikeja centre.

She went on to say that this brings the total number of the Institute’s Centres and Annexes to ten, and she urges all professional drivers who have yet to visit the Institute to take their time and come and benefit from its wealth of experience, while also urging them to stay safe and comply with all of the rules and regulations governing transportation in Lagos State.

Tiamiyu also advised all professional drivers to drive carefully and that managing an already damaged vehicle is a risk to their lives, the lives of commuters, and the lives of other road users, especially during the rainy season, adding that safety first should be a watchword in the upcoming months.