ABU DHABI // Experts welcomed an initiative that offers young children advice on road safety.
A competition that involves schoolchildren creating road safety messages through art was launched by energy services group Amec Foster Wheeler.
As part of its Safe Drive campaign, pupils at Brighton College, in Al Muntazah, were invited to take part, with 90 entering posters into the competition, which began last month.
The hope is for the competition to raise road safety awareness among Amec Foster Wheeler’s employees and in the wider community, said Matt Plant, the group’s regional finance director.
Such initiatives were proven to be effective from an early age, said Dr Salaheddine Bendak, an associate professor at the University of Sharjah.
“Many kids tend to tell their parents of their wrongdoings if they are aware of it.”
Dino Kalivas, chairman of the driver education and training committee at the International Road Federation, said that traffic safety campaigns were a must so that youngsters were aware of the dangers of the road.
“The repercussions of children being killed or injured have a profound impact in school communities,” he said.
“Communicating key messages as seen or expressed by youth through posters or other mediums can often change behaviour of parents and family members.”
Mr Plant said the company calendar for 2016 would feature drawings by the children, chosen from the 500 entries received.
“The quality of the drawings received has been very high so it’s certainly going to be difficult to choose 12 winners,” he said.
“We are delighted to be able to help raise community awareness of road safety in this way. It’s been fantastic to see the children so engaged in the cause.”
The 12 topics covered were driver courtesy, speeding, school bus safety, pedestrian crossings, time management, accidents, seat belts, fatigue, car parking, lane discipline, the use of mobile phones while driving and driving in bad weather.
“Talking to them and seeing some of the entries, I was astonished at how much time and effort some entries must have taken,” said Mr Plant, the campaign’s executive sponsor.
“The children certainly seemed to be ignited by the competition and the subject matter.”
Twelve winners will be announced at a prize-giving ceremony on Thursday.
Experts, meanwhile, called for road safety to be included in the school curriculum.
“Many crashes occur on the way to school and on the way home from school, as well as in local communities,” Mr Kalivas said.
An effective programme, he said, would teach children and young people to be safer road users. Since 2011, traffic and road safety have been taught in Sweden’s schools.
“The Swedish model has helped raise awareness, shape behaviour and influence parents,” Dr Bendak said.
Road safety can be part of a lifestyle subject in schools, said Thomas Edelmann, founder of Road Safety UAE.
“We have to educate kids to protect themselves by always buckling up from a young age,” he said. “We can turn them into ambassadors who can influence others about road safety. We want to nurture the next generation of responsible drivers, when our kids of today will grow up and obtain their driving licence.”
rruiz@thenational.ae
