Taxi drivers deserve protection -- now

Sometimes an issue comes up that seems so clear-cut it's amazing it even has to be discussed.

Let's take, for a specific example, the issue of taxi driver safety. Surely everyone can agree taxi drivers deserve to be safe in the course of doing their job.

If we can agree on that, then the question has to be asked: Why aren't they?

There have been at least four incidents in Durham Region in the last year where drivers faced life-threatening attacks. And those are only the most serious cases and the ones we know about. It's probable there have been many more assaults that have been put in other categories or not reported at all.

Though there's no perfect solution, putting a Plexiglas divider between the cabby in the front and the passenger in the back would greatly reduce assaults. Oshawa City staff has done a report on various safety options, including in-car cameras and safety shields.

While an in-car camera would help in identifying and prosecuting an attacker, it's doubtful it would stop assaults. An attacker high on drugs or alcohol won't always have the reasoning ability to be aware he's on camera or be able to process the consequences of his actions.

The Oshawa City staff report says one drawback to the safety shield between the front and back seats is that it may send a message to visitors that Oshawa is unsafe. Here's a news flash: If taxi drivers are justifiably afraid of getting a knife in the jaw or a gun pointed in their face -- two incidents that have happened in the last year -- then Oshawa is unsafe. What visitors think should be the least of our worries.

Roy Williams, senior manager with Blue Line Taxi in Oshawa, brings up a good point. A barrier is fine as long as customers don't feel entrapped or claustrophobic, he said. If the customer isn't happy or is uncomfortable, you have a problem.

That's a valid concern. But most taxi customers want to get from Point A to Point B. It's doubtful many will choose one taxi company over another because of a Plexiglas barrier. And most people realize times have changed. They submit -- perhaps grudgingly, but they submit nonetheless -- to searches at the airport, to police background checks and many other affronts that wouldn't have been considered just a few years ago.

It's time our Region stopped studying and analyzing and took action. Former Oshawa taxi driver Kelly Needham, who was repeatedly stabbed in the face in October 2007 when he turned to ask his customer for his fare, asked the question that needs to be answered now: "Are you gonna wait for somebody to die before you do something?"

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-- Oshawa This Week