UAE | Traffic and Transport
250,000 pupils in UAE road safety drive
The road safety awareness campaign titled 'Little Step For Safety' will target around 250,000 school children in 85 public and 125 private schools in Dubai. The campaign will be extended to other emirates in future.
- By Ashfaq Ahmed, Chief Reporter
- Published: 00:15 April 17, 2008
Dubai: A huge road safety campaign will be launched in Zabeel Park on Thursday to reduce accidents involving schoolchildren.
Around 137 children between 1 and 14 years were killed or injured last year in road accidents.
The road safety awareness campaign titled 'Little Step For Safety' will target around 250,000 school children in 85 public and 125 private schools in Dubai. The campaign will be extended to other emirates in future.
The campaign has been launched by Dubai First, a consumer finance company of Dubai Group, in collaboration with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Police, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), and the Emirates Driving Institute.
Engineer Badr Al Siri, Director of the Traffic Department at RTA, said it is important to educate children about road safety from the beginning because they are the future drivers.
Ebrahim Al Ansari, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Dubai First, said the initiative came as part of Dubai First's commitment to corporate social responsibility. "Since road safety is one of the key issues that impact our children, we aim to tackle the root cause of the problem, and reach out to the support of RTA and KHDA to initiate strict enforcement of rules and raise awareness," he said.
Ravi Bhardwaj, country head, Dubai First UAE, said: "We seek not only to raise awareness but also change the way parents, school staff, motorists, and children apply safety measures in their daily lives."
The first phase of the campaign will involve the mass distribution of Dubai First 'Little Steps for Safety' edutainment material in schools, containing information on safety tips.
Workshops
Peter Richardson, General Manager Technical and Operations at the Emirates Driving Institute, said: "Some 50 per cent of child fatalities [occur] because [children] are not restrained in their seats."
Dubai Child seats in cars and seat belts in schoolbuses will be made mandatory to ensure safety of children in vehicles.
"Rules regarding child seats in cars and seat belts for school children are under preparation and will be announced once approved by the federal government," said Engineer Badr Al Siri, Director of the Traffic Department at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
He said it is an important issue and is being dealt on a priority basis. He, however, also called upon parents to use child seats in cars. "They should not wait for the law and start using child seats in their cars because it will help reduce accidents involving children," he said.
- A.A.
Accidents
- April 15, 2008 An Emirati boy died and five other family members sustained injuries when a heavy vehicle rammed into their car on Al Rams Road in Ras Al Khaimah. A four-year-old Pakistani girl was run over in Sharjah, while she was crossing the road by herself.
- April 7 A two-year-old Emirati was playing in front of his home when a speeding car knocked him down in Al Foah district, Al Ain.
--April 6 School bus driver crushed to death a three-year-old kindergarten pupil in Al Ain.
--March 9 Two children and a man were killed on the spot when a speeding vehicle hit another car which rammed against a palm tree in Abu Dhabi.
--March 2 A school bus ran over a five-year-old girl moments after she got off the vehicle, killing her immediately in Dubai.
--February 24 Two schoolgirls died after being run over by a car after getting off a school bus in Ras Al Khaimah.
--December 22, 2007 A bus carrying Haj pilgrims was involved in accident, which left one 12-year-old Emirati boy dead and 37 injured, three of them seriously, in Abu Dhabi.
--July 10 A four-year-old girl died after she was run over by the bus which brought her home from school in Khor Fakkan.
--May 14 10 year-old boy was hit by a car and died at the school's parking lot in Sharjah.
--May 2 A Filipina schoolgirl was killed when she was run over by a car inside the school parking area in Sharjah.
--February 12 An 11-year-old student has regained 75 per cent of her respiratory function and passed a critical stage after being hit by a car as she ran to catch up with her schoolbus in Umm Al Quwain.
--October 13, 2006 An family of four was killed in Sharjah Airport Road.
Have Your Say
Do you think children have enough awareness about road safety? Should parents have an active role in this campaign? What other safety elements could be highlighted? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com
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