School road safety programme to reduce the rate of road traffic injuries inaugurated
A programme to promote road safety to primary school children throughout the country was inaugurated at an event held last week.
The Puma Energy Foundation and the FIA Foundation in partnership with international road safety NGO, Amend and the Private Sector Road Safety Forum of Namibia (PSRSF), inaugurated the programme at AI Steenkamp Primary School in Windhoek, where a financial boost of N$350,000 was also availed.
The initiative is part of an Africa-wide programme being carried out in nine countries namely: Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia.
According to PSRSF the programme will see the reduction of vehicle speeds through the creation of a demarcation area, pedestrian crossing and the construction of speed reduction mechanisms.
Governor of the Khomas Region, Laura McLeod-Katjirua at the event said proactive measurements such as establishing an environment that will ensure a safe road to school for will contribute substantially to the reduction of crashes.
“Every child has a right to travel to and from school without the fear of being bumped by a vehicle,” she said, highlighting the high number of crashes year-on-year in her region.
Executive Director of the Puma Energy Foundation, Vincent Faber, said that the partnership is pivotal as it promotes the uptake of measures by local authorities to implement the necessary infrastructures around schools.
“We applaud the results that our program has achieved so far and we are committed to increase our support to ensure safe journeys to school and a bright future for all the children,” he added.
According to the WHO, each year, over 1.35 million people are killed on the world’s roads, and up to a further 50 million are injured. But it is Africa with the world’s most dangerous roads, with a death rate of 24.1 per 100,000 of the population.
AMEND and PSRSF have been working since 2017 to reduce vehicle speed and provide safe pedestrian infrastructure around primary schools in Windhoek. These roads safety measures include safe footpaths, zebra crossing, speed humps and road signs.
