Road safety matters

THE LOCAL police of Benissa will begin teaching students and the elderly important aspects of road safety awareness from next week. The training will last over a few months and will involve both practical and theoretical aspects of accident prevention.

All of the schoolchildren in Benissa will benefit from the education, in order that they 'acquire positive behaviours and habits when they walk on the street, ride a bicycle or travel in car ', explained an officer from the local force.

The practical part will have an added novelty, as the students will have to practice being 'school police'. This will include filing complaints about badly parked vehicles, the reason why they are subject to a grievance, and the consequences that could happen because of poor parking. Students on duty will wear a reflective yellow vest emblazoned with ‘Benissa School Police’ on the rear.

A mobile road education unit will also be set up in the schools, with streets, traffic signs and traffic lights. Bicycles and scooters will be used in the zone to simulate traffic movement.

Leaflets will be also distributed to each student, which they will be asked to take home in order to discuss road safety with their family. This is specifically aimed at parents dropping off and collecting children from school in their cars.

Meanwhile, students of the IES Josep Iborra secondary school will travel by bus to the La Nucía road education park, where there are facilities which simulate a town centre. They will be taught about both the safety and legal aspects of riding mopeds. They will also be shown a drug test device and a breathalyser.

In addition, the Benissa force plans to give a talk to residents in May regarding matters related as to why most accidents occur, and how to prevent them.