Driving manual for youngsters
THEY might not be old enough to get behind the wheel as yet, but teaching young ones about the rules of the road and how to drive could prove beneficial in the long run.
This was the thinking behind newly launched book titled Kids On The Road – Junior Driving Manual by first-time author Mbali Mavundla.
Mavundla teamed up with Limpopo businessman Mampatle Malapane to produce the book, which she said would change lives.
Mavundla said the book was a driving manual aimed at children from grades R to 7. “But one can always make reference to this knowledge beyond those grades.
“The main idea is to arm children with practical skills in a practical world. Children are driving by the time they’re 12 and sometimes younger. This easy-to-read manual breaks down road concepts at their level.
“As it stands, there is no formal education for motorists, so this book closes a major gap in that area.
“Imagine the long-term effect in reducing accidents on our roads if tomorrow’s driver can be taught as a pupil at primary school age,” she said.
To complement the book, Mavundla and Malapane are building a toy car to give schoolchildren practical lessons in the classroom.
She said the book was written in a way children could understand and she hopes that her efforts create a no road-accident South Africa as the children were the future.
“The is about solving a bigger problem in the country – unsafe roads, an issue our government has been trying to address for years.
“This includes road knowledge, and getting motorists to adhere to road rules and guidelines.
“According to Arrive Alive, the mortality rate on our roads is one of the worst in the world, and the largest unnatural killer of children in our country today are road crashes.
“Enforcing formal education in the process of obtaining a driver’s licence and making this book part of the curriculum would mean we have skilled and knowledgeable motorists on our roads who are taught at a primary school age,” said Mavundla.
She said she had tried to reach out to the Department of Basic Education and Road Traffic Management Corporation without success but would continue pursuing them.
“You’ll be redirected until you give up, but fortunately enough for me, I’m just getting started. This project will end up in schools and being used to better our drivers and make our roads safer, sooner than later,” she said.
The book is available at the Book Circle Capital in Melville, Joburg, and can be ordered online on https:// paystack.shop/kids-on-the-road and picked up from any Pep store.