Stating that traffic stress, the intensity of working hours, the scarcity of rest hours, the lack of social security, and recently highlighted issues such as customer bullying and violence are prominent concerns regarding the safety of the taxi driving profession, Assistant Professor Dr. Gamze Kağan said that safety can be increased by utilizing the opportunities of developing technology, and that taxi drivers should be provided with training and awareness programs to ensure the effective and efficient use of technological applications.
Assistant Professor Dr. Gamze Kağan, Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Program at Üsküdar Üniversitesi's Vocational School of Health Services, evaluated the issue of taxi drivers' safety.
“Situations such as customer bullying/violence, which have recently come to the fore, are prominent”
Assistant Professor Dr. Gamze Kağan reminded that the safety of taxi drivers came to the agenda after the recent incident in İzmir, stating, “In the transportation sector, traffic stress, intensive working hours, insufficient rest periods, lack of social security, and recently highlighted issues such as customer bullying/violence are prominent in the safety of the taxi driving profession.”
Highlighting the importance of including taxi drivers in the social security system, Assistant Professor Dr. Gamze Kağan stated, “Thus, taxi drivers’ occupational safety rights will be legally protected. Furthermore, strengthening inspections and implementing sanctions are crucial to prevent unregistered employment.”
“Safety can be enhanced by leveraging the opportunities of developing technology”
Noting that some of the health and safety hazards drivers face during their work include stress, violence, noise, vibration, working alone, and driving while fatigued and sleepless, Assistant Professor Dr. Gamze Kağan said, “The issue of violence emerges as an important agenda item. At this point, safety can be increased by utilizing the possibilities of developing technology.”
What role can technological developments play in increasing the safety of taxi drivers?
Explaining that taxi drivers' safety can be managed with the existing Commercial Taxi Security System (TTGS), Dr. Kağan stated, “Making the security and monitoring system, which is planned to be installed in commercial taxis and consists of a vehicle tracking system, a panic button, and an in-car camera system, mandatory for occupational safety in the taxi industry will be an important step. This will enable the transfer of vehicle location information, vehicle status, and route information to relevant units via a mobile device in taxis, and in the event of any negative incident, activating the panic button and monitoring through the in-car camera system will allow the nearest health and safety assistance teams to intervene.”
“Accidents caused by human error on highways can also be reduced with technological advancements”
Stating that accidents caused by human error on highways can also be reduced with technological advancements, Assistant Professor Dr. Gamze Kağan said, “Driving safety technologies used in new model cars, such as cruise control, collision warning, lane departure warning, lane correction, rearview camera, parking sensors, and emergency braking, could be made mandatory for use in taxis. Another technological development is the creation of a safer and more predictable environment with connected vehicles. This technology, which adds a new dimension to vehicle-to-environment communication, allows vehicles to connect with each other and continuously share information about their locations, speeds, and changes in these, thereby enabling vehicles to move safely either individually or in groups.”
“Training should be provided for the effective and efficient use of technological applications”
Highlighting the importance of providing training related to technological applications, as well as training aimed at protecting taxi drivers from dangerous individuals, Assistant Professor Dr. Gamze Kağan concluded by saying, “For taxi drivers' occupational safety rights to be ensured, it is crucial that their status be integrated into the social security system as workers with premium incentives, and subsequently, by utilizing developing technology, making the presence of these (technologies) in all taxis a legal requirement for occupational safety. Furthermore, training and awareness programs must be conducted for taxi drivers on the effective and efficient use of these technological applications.”