Joining hands to make young drivers aware of road safety
The Department of Transport has announced a partnership with Michelin Corporate Foundation to launch a multifaceted road safety initiative in SA to focus on the driver safety of young people.
The programme utilises behaviour change principles to empower youth with knowledge, skills, training and resources to take action against road incidents.
Global statistics show that in 2015, the country officially reported about 14,000 road fatalities, of which 29% were drivers and 38% passengers in light motor vehicles. On a global scale, 59% of all road traffic deaths are young adults.
“It is essential for us to teach and build awareness among the youth to help protect them and make them responsible drivers. We believe our programme with the Michelin Corporate Foundation will go a long way in sustaining this effort in SA for safer roads.” says Whitey Maphakela, chief director: road safety, Department of Transport.
“The Michelin Corporate Foundation perpetuates the Michelin Group’s societal engagement everywhere in the world through various programmes where sustainable mobility and road safety are key priorities,” says Philippe Verneuil, president of Michelin Africa, India and Middle East.
“We are pleased to partner with the Department of Transport in SA for the Road Safety Youth Ambassador project over the next three years. We are determined in ‘helping people move forward’ and believe this programme will assist the community of Limpopo move forward towards a better tomorrow by tackling topics such as basic vehicle control, dealing with an emergency situation and the social and economic consequences of crashes.”
The first phase will complement the department’s Road Safety Youth Ambassador programme by training 20 youth ambassadors from Limpopo across 10 schools. This will be done by leveraging the global youth ambassador programme of Youth for Road Safety.
Phase two will focus specifically on the activities of the two Youth Road Safety Ambassadors in the Bela-Bela and Modimolle municipalities over a three-year period. This will serve as a lead demonstration programme for the other 18 ambassadors and provinces.
The objective of this phase is to create voluntary circles of young people to improve their knowledge and behaviour before they obtain a driver’s licence. These young people are encouraged to become ambassadors for safe and courteous behaviour through their participation in discussions and programmes during which they share knowledge and ideas with peers and parents.