Prioritising safety of children on roads

ABULAWAYO resident, Sikhonzeni Ncube recalls the moment she almost lost her life to save a school girl when a car sped towards them as they walked side by side on a busy city road. Ncube, 45, remembers vividly how she pushed the young girl out of the path of the oncoming car but had to suffer injuries from the impact of the Mercedes Benz ML driven by a middle aged lady.

The school girl only sustained a bruise from the fall and luckily Ncube got medical attention in time. She was swiftly lifted to Mpilo hospital where she was treated and discharged for minor injuries and shock.

This nerve-wrecking incident occurred along 6th Avenue near Robert Tredgold School in September.

Ncube has fully recuperated and said she wants to commit her time to teach school children about road safety awareness.

“I remember that day very well. It was on a Friday. I was on my way to town passing by Robert Tredgold School. By my side was a school kid, probably in Grade 4. As we walked, I saw a car speeding towards us and that is when I realised that the child was in danger.

“I had to leap to the other side and push the girl out of harm’s way. The speeding car screeched and I was hit by the rear-view mirror on the shoulder. Had I not pushed the little girl, she was going to die. In fact, both us could have met our fate that day,” said Ncube.

“I want to teach our children, especially those who go to schools in the city centre to remain vigilant on the road all the time.”

This heart-rending yet courageous story reads well of everyday life encounters for school children.

Although Ncube’s worry is on kids who learn in city schools, the general view with most traffic safety activists is that awareness programmes have to spread even to schools in neighbourhoods.

In the western suburbs of the city, there are numerous cases recorded by the Zimbabwe Republic Police of negligent drivers who put the lives of children in danger.

In the high density areas, children, whether in school or toddlers use open spaces and streets as their playgrounds.

While it is never an excuse to allow children to play on street sides, it is equally indefensible for drivers to speed. In the event of a mishap, who is to blame?

It all boils down to traffic safety awareness on drivers, school teachers, children and their parents.

The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) is on a massive drive to teach communities on how to protect children on the roads.

In its recently launched festive season traffic safety campaign, TSCZ reminds motorists to maintain decency and refrain from speeding. The call extends to adherence to pedestrian crossings and safety of children as well.

TSCZ information, communication and technical manager Mr Tatenda Chinoda said the broader picture is on recommending the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to include road safety in the school curriculum.

“We are on a drive to recommend the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to consider the teaching of road safety. This is a four-pronged approach where we want to focus on road safety as a subject, teacher training, introduction of road safety literature and the teaching of parents on how to protect children on the roads.

“All this boils down to the key institutions of our society namely the home, church and the community. These institutions must be at the forefront of making sure that children are safe on the roads,” he said.

TSCZ has also constructed mini-traffic parks countrywide to aid in the teaching of children on road rules and how to be safe.

In Bulawayo there are two such facilities, one is the Khongo Park in Mpopoma suburb and the other is located within the Centenary Park grounds on 5th Avenue Extension.

“On all our campaigns we have engaged schools as we have realised that our children are vulnerable on the roads. It is our view that drivers must be vigilant for pedestrians, in particular children,” said Mr Chinoda.

Traffic Safety ambassador Jeys Marabini, a renowned musician is also of the view that children have to be taught about traffic safety.

“Of course we cannot deny that as a country we must protect our kids, they are the future. As such, we as ambassadors of traffic safety are already at work trying hard to educate both drivers and community members to be conscious on the road. What is needed is a comprehensive approach on road safety education for children in school and out of school,” he said.

Of greater concern is the laxity of some drivers on the wheel who tend to look down upon pedestrians, in particular minors.

Statistics supplied by the Zimbabwe Republic Police and also verified by the TSCZ show that more than 600 children have been injured on the roads owing to driver negligence.

The World Health Organisation has called upon governments to follows strategies that will help keep children safe on the roads. TSCZ has also championed this campaign.

The strategies to be followed include building road safety management capacity, improving the safety of road infrastructure and broader transport networks, producing safer vehicles, enhancing the safety of road users through enacting and enforcing legislation around key risks, such as speeding, drinking and driving, helmets, seat-belts and child restraints behaviour of road users, and improving post-crash emergency and trauma care for the injured.

The compounding factor that adds to the misery on the roads is that Zimbabwe’s cities are rapidly ‘motorising’. There are more cars and that has led to road carnage and upped the risk of children being killed or maimed.

According to the UN’s #SaveKidsLives campaign which commenced in 2015, each day 500 children die from road traffic crashes, thousands more are injured and the situation is only getting worse.

It is against this backdrop that the TSCZ in conjunction with partners, volunteers and private organisations such as Road Safe Zimbabwe (RSZ) Trust, ZIMPACT and Zimbabwe Accident Helpline, is conducting an awareness campaign this festive season.

Passengers’ Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) president Mr George Goliati is on record saying traffic safety education is very necessary for minors as it is very difficult to train an older person.

“We have to catch them young, thus it will be better to catch them while they are still young,” he said.

A teacher at a local school, Mr Michael Munyoro, said it is important for all stakeholders to prioritise the care of children on the road.

“From what we have encountered in the past, we cannot help but ask the Government and other players to help curb the danger our children are faced with,” he said.