Road safety is at the forefront of business minds in Papua New Guinea. Poor roads mean delays in the delivery of goods, damaged vehicles and fatal accidents. But Frank Lapi, Director and Master Trainer at Diamond Defensive Driving Academy, may have found a solution that suits businesses of every size.

Defensive driver training. Credit: Diamond Defensive Driving School

The roads snaking through Papua Guinea’s terrain are dotted with potholes and capsized vehicles. In January this year, rehabilitation work funded by the Asian Development Bank began on the Highlands Highway—the country’s main road.

For businesses the treacherous road conditions of roads like the Highlands Highway often lead to delays in delivery of goods and costs incurred from the deterioration of vehicles.

The stakes are higher when it comes to the human cost of road safety. Fatal accidents across the country are commonplace.

Businesses wanting to equip their drivers are now turning to defensive driving classes. The hands-on courses teach participants how to employ safe driving techniques on the country’s roads.

‘Our main focus of is to test a driver’s competency level—having the drivers perform defence driving and then issue them a certificate in the industry,’ says Lapi, director of the Port Moresby-based Diamond Defensive Driving Academy (DDDA).

‘The high number of road accidents in the country are due to a combination of poor vehicle conditions, lack of driver competency, poor road conditions, unexpected shifts in weather and natural disasters.’

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Since launching in 2012 the company has been providing training to a range of corporate clients, such as Nestle PNG, Trukai Industries and SP Brewery.

‘It is very important because in developed countries this is the procedure that they follow. For Papua New Guinea as a developing country we need to adapt to that,’ he says.

Types of courses

Forklift operations and safety training. Credit: DDDA

The courses, which are based on training material from the UK and Australia, are adapted to suit PNG conditions. For example, generic photos in the course material have been replaced with images from local roads to show the drivers and teach them how to navigate PNG roads.

There are also variations in the course content depending on which part of the country the academy is teaching in. The Highlands Highway course content is distinctly different to what participants are taught for Port Moresby’s roads.

DDDA also runs a Tok Pisin version of the course for drivers not fluent in English.

The courses can be tailored for heavy machinery and four-wheel driving. Drivers are taught how to manoeuvre different conditions, including wet crossings, mud and gravel.

Lapi believes the high number of road accidents in the country are due to a combination of poor vehicle conditions, lack of driver competency, poor road conditions, unexpected shifts in weather and natural disasters.

PNG knowledge

Trukai’s defensive driving training. Credit: DDDA

DDDA was created when Lapi and some of his colleagues at a security company in Port Moresby recognised the lack of adequate driver training.

‘It’s the government’s responsibility to look after the injury and the road side of things. But as road safety advocates we are trying to teach the drivers to be cautious and more worried of situations on the road before they drive on the road,’ he said.

The company employs local trainers who have international qualifications from Australia and the UK. They then tailor their knowledge to be adapted to PNG’s roads.

Lapti is now hoping the academy can partner with international organisations to train his staff.

‘It’s the government’s responsibility to look after the injury and the road side of things. But as road safety advocates we are trying to teach the drivers to be cautious and more worried of situations on the road before they drive on the road.’

Interest in the company has steadily grown in the past five years, as they have acquired more tenders with companies. But Lapi says this followed a sluggish few years when the business first opened.

‘In Papua New Guinea when a national wants to start doing something different, the industry has a lot of resistance,’ he says.

‘At first, nobody wanted to believe in what we were trying to do. Over time, as we upskill ourselves eventually it picked up.’