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Volunteer chauffeurs for the Olympic Games are being assessed for the quality of their driving, and in a Daily Mail article it was reported that drivers will be placed into four grades.
"Grade one will ferry the top VIPs around, while grade two drivers will be given athletes and their families.
"Grade three will only be allowed to deliver parcels, and those who are judged to be grade four will be reassigned to other duties because their standard of driving has been deemed to be unacceptably low."
Effectively then, the lives of VIPs are more important than athletes.
It's more important for VIPs to reach the stadium in one piece than the competitors themselves, grade three drivers are OK to be on our roads but not safe enough for anyone to be in the vehicle with them and grade four drivers (who clearly hold a driving licence to enable them to conduct the assessment in the first place) aren't even safe enough to drive a box of medals to the track!
The good news is that training is being provided so that (in the words of one trainer) "...they are comfortable with the new cars and know basic things such as how to negotiate a roundabout."
I'd assume that training isn't being offered to those grade four drivers not deemed safe enough to go anywhere near a vehicle, and so I wonder who these 'approved' drivers are that need teaching how to get around roundabouts.
The fact that this appeared in the press makes me feel it's more of a PR stunt by the Olympic organisers to promote their commitment to the safety of VIPs, athletes and their families than it is about actual road safety.
However, once again, it's an influential body paying lip service to an important issue because if they really wanted to ensure that officials and competitors arrived safely they would employ, and pay for, a team of ADIs (Approved Driving Instructors) to drive the cars themselves.
However, instead they're relying on volunteer chauffeurs - probably to save money!
I wonder if the chefs employed for the VIP reception are also volunteers. I suspect not.
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