Cape Town - School is not only about learning and having fun but also to understand the importance of road safety.
To highlight this, the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works: Road Safety Management in partnership with ChildSafe South Africa, an NGO focusing on childhood injury prevention, launched a Junior Traffic Training Centre (JTTC) at Sakumlandela Primary School in Khayelitsha on Tuesday.
Pupils and teachers from Sakumlandela Primary School were informed about the importance of road safety education and were given a tour of the JTTC.
They are among six schools in the area who will benefit from this programme.
Sakumlandela Primary School principal, Makhosandile Dyum, said: “From today they will learn what to do before they cross. I have close to 1 100 pupils and (majority of them) walk to and from school.
“We have a number of schools in Bangiso Drive and close to 6000 pupils walk to and from school, (which makes a project like this very important).
“My suggestion is also to have reflectors on tracksuits and school bags as it becomes difficult for them to be seen by motorists during winter,” he said.
Director of Road Safety Management for the Western Cape Department of Transport of Public Works, Willie van der Merwe, said child safety is a priority as pedestrians have been identified (as one) of the biggest fatalities in South Africa.
“We have a big responsibility, especially to assist communities in making it safer for kids to get to and from school. Junior traffic training centres are just one of those interventions to try and create awareness.
“The positive thing here today was to see all the various stakeholders. My message to parents is to make sure that their kids are safe as they are leaders of our future,” he said.
Executive director of ChildSafe South Africa, Zaitoon Rabaney, said: “The aim is to teach pupils about safe mobility in traffic and to teach road safety education in a play-environment, without exposing them to the dangers of real traffic situations. A child learns best when things are reinforced, reinforced and reinforced.
“We will be taking this programme to 14 schools on Stellenbosch Arterial Road, cutting through the Belhar and Delft as the road is a hot spot for traffic crashes and pedestrian injuries,” she said.