RTA campaign focuses on safety of pupils

Dubai: Some six children were killed and 144 between the ages of 1 and 15 were injured in traffic accidents in Dubai last year, said a senior official at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority.

"This also includes 42 children sustaining injuries in run-over accidents," said Maitha Obaid Bin Udai, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the RTA.

The alarming figure of accidents involving children has forced the RTA to focus its traffic safety campaign as part of the Gulf Traffic Week 2011 on educating students in schools and universities in the emirate.

Maitha said that the RTA is making continuous efforts to educate children and students about traffic and road safety issues.

Starting this week, the RTA will also start broadcasting awareness flashes about traffic safety for children on the Spacetoon television channel. The traffic awareness supervisors at the agency together with the Spacetoon Channel have prepared four awareness messages in mini pictorial cartoon templates, addressing and highlighting the safety precautions for biking, fastening the safety belt during driving, avoiding playing in the vicinity of buses, and crossing streets from the designated areas.

The messages will be broadcast at least five times a day over the next five weeks.

Meanwhile, Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA, will meet today a number of students from various schools, colleges and universities in Dubai to discuss ways to develop youth-oriented traffic awareness programmes.

He will also honour the winner of "Your safety in your distance" competition, launched by the RTA at the end of last year.

Safety tips

• Take ten steps away from the bus after getting down
• Wait until the bus leaves, then cross the road safely
• Go straight home
• Do not allow children to put their heads and hands outside the car windows
• Children below 10 years should sit in the back seat.
• Always fasten seat belts even if it is for a short drive
• Educate children about rash driving
• Educate children how to cross the road from dedicated spots
• Explain to them how dangerous it is to run on the roads

(source RTA)