Watford taxi drivers deliver safety petition
Taxi drivers who say they have had enough of the physical and verbal abuse meted out by their drunken late night passengers have delivered a petition to Watford Borough Council to demand safety improvement.
The Watford Hackney Carriage Drivers Association, which last month described two shocking attacks on its members to the Watford Observer, is asking the council co-fund the installation of in-car CCTV, panic alarms, and protective glass screens.
The petition, containing more than 200 signatures, has been handed to council licensing officials, who are investigating a range of options.
Association member Adil Butt, who was savagely beaten and robbed by three men in July 2007, said action needed to be taken before someone was killed or seriously injured.
He said: “People like me do not drive taxis for fun. We do it seven days a week to earn money for our families. I do it for my two children.
“We all just want to make a living during this recession and return home safely to our families at the end of the day.”
Most incidents of violence, Mr Butt explained, were inflicted on drivers of saloon vehicles, which have none of the protection of the traditional (and more expensive) London style black cabs. It was possible, he added, to fix similar screens in the white and black family style cars favoured by most licensed drivers.
Association chairman Shafiq Ahmed, who met this afternoon with council officers this afternoon, reiterated the association’s willingness to co-fund any expenditure incurred.
source;
http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/
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