Coming together to educate children on road safety

Pilipinas Shell, under the Philippine Global Road Safety Partnership, Inc., collaborated with the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Department of Education, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Automobile Association of the Philippines, Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association, Sunshine TV and Safe Kids Philippines to facilitate the sustainable reduction of road traffic casualties, particularly those involving children.

Data given during the launch points to road traffic injury as the second most common type of accidents among children ages 5 to 12, with 263 children falling victim to road crashes every day.

Through the Flash Cards Pilot Project, it is hoped that children will have a greater understanding on the importance of road safety, educating them on traffic rules and regulations, and imbibing in them an accident-free culture.

DOTC Assistant Secretary Dante Lantin expressed high hopes for the program, which will be part of the instructional materials for fifth grade students in public schools. He added that fifth-grade students are chosen because it is at these ages where “they are left to walk to and from their school by themselves.” Children at this stage have also developed the sense to gauge when it is safe to cross based on the vehicle’s speed and traffic gaps.

The colourful flashcards portray different road scenarios, from vehicle sounds, roads and traffic signs and behaviours in walking and crossing the streets to riding an embarking in vehicles. To be used as teaching aids, the ten handy cards will be part of the instructional material for fifth grade students in public schools. Ten schools are initially picked for the pilot test, which will run for six months. These include Bacood Elementary School, Bagong Barangay Elementary School, Bagong Diwa Elementary School, Beata Elementary School, F. Amorsolo Elementary School, Geronimo Santiago Elementary School, J. Zamora Elementary School, Pio del Pilar Elementary School, Sta. Ana Elementary School, and Tomas Earnshaw Elementary School.

Lantin said the project will be rolled out nationwide. Evaluations will be done after the pilot test to see its effectiveness and once improvements have been added.

In line with its endeavour to be a good neighbour, Pilipinas Shell gives utmost importance to safety and is constantly seeking new ways to deliver effective responses to road safety in the country. Its Road Safety for Children campaign has been running for more than a decade now.