Attending a current affairs phone-in programme hosted by Ou Mun Tin Toi, the Chinese-language radio channel of public broadcaster TDM, lawyer Jorge Ho Kam Meng urged the government yesterday to clarify the legal responsibilities on regulating designated drivers, in response to the need for such drivers in civil society, adding that designated drivers are not included in the city’s Road Traffic Law.
The Britannica Dictionary defines a designated driver as a person who agrees not to drink alcohol on a particular occasion so that he or she will be able to safely drive around other people who will be drinking alcohol.
Designated driving can be a business, but it can also be provided free of charge, Ho noted.
A fatal car accident occurred on the roundabout outside Macau Stadium in Taipa earlier this month, involving a vehicle with a designated driving company’s sticker, which resulted in heated discussions among the public.
Ho pointed out that the community should consider how to regulate the designated driving business, adding that different to taxi drivers who must pass an entry qualification test for driving franchised vehicles and are familiar with their vehicle set-up, designated drivers who may not be familiar with the vehicles assigned to them could pose a safety hazard to pedestrians and vehicles when driving another person’s vehicle.
Ku Heng Cheong, a member of the government-appointed Transport Advisory Committee, said during the phone-in programme that even though the designated driving business has existed in Macau for a long time, there is no corresponding legal and supervisory standards for the qualification of drivers of designated driving companies. Ku also said: “If there is a dispute over the use of services, such as vehicle damage and fee charges, it is not clear whether the dispute should be handled within the framework of the Labour Relations Law or as a consumer dispute.”
Ku said he believed that if legislation on designated driving would be in place in the future, the quality of designated drivers would surely be of concern to the public.
Lawyer Jorge Ho Kam Meng (left) and Transport Advisory Committee member Ku Heng Cheong pose on the sidelines of yesterday’s phone-in programme hosted by public broadcaster TDM’s Chinese-language radio station, Ou Mun Tin Toi. – Photo courtesy of TDM
