As we go for the long-awaited festive season break, we should also be thinking of how our children will be traveling to and from school safely in the new year. If you have not yet made plans in this regard, this is the time to do so because it will only be stressful for you to try and make last minute arrangements before schools open. This particularly applies to parents of learners who are starting at new schools next year, particularly those starting Grade One. In most instances one has other commitments especially work that coincide with school starting times. How then does one juggle getting a child to school while also ensuring that one arrives at work on time? Continue reading “Shining the spotlight on non-subsidised scholar transport”
Category: Vulnerable road users
An opportune moment to remind ourselves of Madiba’s take on education in his centenary year
One of the most inspirational quotes by the late Nelson Mandela is that ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’. This a straightforward and yet profound statement. Profound in the sense that education not only makes for a more informed citizenry but can also be a tool to fight poverty thereby helping reduce the existing inequalities in our deeply unequal society. As we celebrate Mandela’s centenary year and as we approach this year’s Mandela Day, we should all ask ourselves if we are enabling our children to acquire this powerful tool-Education. Continue reading “An opportune moment to remind ourselves of Madiba’s take on education in his centenary year”
Reclaim streets instead of taking children off the streets
In an earlier article (May 2017), I stated that traffic calming seems to me to be the most effective strategy that we can use to protect one of our most vulnerable road user groups: children. The intention then was to have a follow up article but this was overtaken by events and I had to write about Regulation 250. I would therefore like to revisit the issue of traffic calming and put forward a case for accelerating the implementation of traffic calming on local streets across urban areas in South Africa. One often hears of the need to keep children off the streets as a way of keeping them safe. This is understandable given the high traffic danger and high number of crimes against children currently being experienced in South Africa. However, in my opinion this is an unfortunate sentiment given the already limited opportunity for both outdoor play and independent mobility by children nowadays. Instead of striving to keep children away from the streets, we should rather be reclaiming our local streets through traffic calming so that they become safe places for our children to play and walk. Continue reading “Reclaim streets instead of taking children off the streets”
New regulation on the transportation of schoolchildren comes into force in South Africa
The school commute has always been a key challenge in South Africa with most learners in both rural and urban areas having difficulty in accessing schools safely. Among the challenges that are faced by learners are: walking long distances to school, the high cost of transport, and vulnerability to road crashes as evidenced by the number of road crashes involving schoolchildren. Responses at the policy level are therefore needed to address these challenges. Continue reading “New regulation on the transportation of schoolchildren comes into force in South Africa”
Putting forward the case for learner visibility: brighten them up this winter
Available data points towards the vulnerability of pedestrians to road crashes and that a significantly higher number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities occur over the winter months. This suggests that light and weather conditions may be factors increasing crash risk for pedestrians. With the winter season setting in, I therefore encourage that schoolchildren (particularly those who walk to school) be provided with reflective apparel that enhances their visibility to motorists. Such apparel includes (but is not limited to) reflective vests, backpacks and tracksuits with reflective strips on the ankles, knees and elbows). The latter are highly recommended because of their configuration. This is because they harness the concept known as biological motion (or ‘biomotion’)-that is, ‘our visual sensitivity to patterns of human motion’. Apparel like tracksuits and jackets with reflective strips on the knees move with the movement of a pedestrian and therefore are more easily identified as being the shape and movement of a human being. Continue reading “Putting forward the case for learner visibility: brighten them up this winter”
Setting up a walking school bus: some key considerations
A common lamentation that one hears often today is how children’s ability to move around independently or child independent mobility (CIM)[1] has been curtailed as a result of traffic and ‘stranger’ danger. Simply put, parents in South Africa (and elsewhere) seem to have become increasingly afraid for the safety of their children and do not allow them to move about unaccompanied lest they be involved in road traffic crashes or become victims of crime. A mitigating action appropriate to both lower income neighbourhoods where traffic danger is relatively high as well as in the higher income neighbourhoods where feelings of stranger danger seem to be more prevalent may be voluntary ‘walking buses’. Continue reading “Setting up a walking school bus: some key considerations”
Get children to (and from) school safely
Schools will open across South Africa for the last term of 2016 soon. Regardless of how your children travel to and from school (whether they walk, cycle, take the bus, or if you drive them to school); being safe on the road is imperative and we share some tips with parents. While the list of tips is not exhaustive, we believe it provides a good starting point to ensure the safety of children during the school commute. Continue reading “Get children to (and from) school safely”
Saving children from road traffic trauma not an impossible endeavour
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) figures, 500 children are killed each day in road crashes globally. It is therefore not surprising that road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among 15–19 year-olds and the second leading cause among 5–14 year-olds)[1]. Millions more children are injured each year and require hospital care for non-fatal injuries as a result of road traffic crashes. These are compelling figures which should give us all a clear and unequivocal mandate to take action aimed at reducing the vulnerability of our children to the carnage currently obtaining on our roads. While children are at risk in vehicles, on bicycles and motorcycles, available data indicate that child pedestrians are one of the most vulnerable road user groups. Continue reading “Saving children from road traffic trauma not an impossible endeavour”