Students� accidents on the rise
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Friday May 20, 2016 15:14
Mogatlaatshwene revealed during a workshop on the establishment of traffic safety clubs in school hosted by the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA fund), which was held recently at the Adansonia Hotel.
Mogatlaatshwene, who is also the district traffic officer, noted that during 2014 four students were involved in fatal road accidents in Francistown and greater Francistown. The deceased were either pedestrians or passengers in motor vehicles.
He added that nine pupils the same year sustained serious injuries and 32 sustained minor injuries from road accidents adding it up to a total of 45 students involved in road accidents in 2014. The district traffic officer disclosed that in 2015 they recorded a high number of road accidents involving children.
“We recorded five deaths due to traffic accidents and 14 suffered serious injuries whilst 33 pupils sustained minor injuries. The number of traffic accidents involving children has risen from the previous years,” he said.
Mogatlaatshwene revealed that they are still concered by the rise in pupils’ traffic accidents during the course of 2016.
He urged the coordinators of the traffic road accidents from different schools and parents to be alert, teach and protect their children on road accidents.
MVA Fund Francistown branch manager, Keitumetse Nkala said their organisation has recorded many children who were involved in road accidents.
He added that most of the affected pupils are pedestrians who suffer or die from such accidents.
“Road accidents are classified as the most serious of all health risks facing children therefore the fund focuses on educational measures to instill good road lessons to children so that they can secure them to adulthood,” he said.
Nkala revealed that as MVA Fund their mandate is to invest on road safety promotions, notably the establishment of school roads safety clubs. He said road safety clubs are sanctuaries, which mould children and adolescents to be responsible road users and the clubs are expected to submit their plans for implementation and are issued with road safety materials.
He added that the reflectors and signs will be used to help the clubs effectively conduct road safety in a safe and structured manner.
“Because of the affirmation we had to regulate a workshop on the establishment of traffic safety clubs in schools. All the Tonota schools, primaries and secondary schools attended the workshop with the intention to form school traffic safety clubs,” said Nkala.
He said that the construction of the Tonota-Francistown road has precipitated the workshop.
He added that the initiative came as a result to enlighten the students who are unaware of road safety and capacitate them to familiarise themselves with road safety measures.
“Road crossing is a huge problem in Botswana because the statistics indicate that lives lost are of children trying to cross the roads and therefore practical training is the most effective means of improving young children skills and judgement as they will learn about road safety by being exposed to real traffic safety situations in a controlled and safe manner,” he said.
He said they have already formed road safety clubs in Tashatha, Setlalekgosi, Ditsweletse, Montsamaisa Junior schools and Mahube, Pelotshwana, Maradu, Ikhutseng, Sua and Masunga Primary schools.
He said they will be forming clubs in all the schools in Tonota so that they can try and resuscitate those dormant traffic schools to benchmark from them.
“I would like Batswana to understand and know that road safety is a community issue and we need to seek their cooperation and also believe that all road users including schools have a responsibility towards road safety,” he said.
Nkala said the fund’s initiative will try to cultivate children participation in road safety and play a role in promoting traffic safety awareness with communities.
The assistant coordinator of Lethabile Junior School, Warren Kenalemang expressed gratitude towards MVA Fund for organising the workshop. He said he is going to mobilise the staff and student at the school on the formation of a road safety club.
Kenalemang noted that they are going to advocate the speed ramp in front of the school to reduce accidents that took place in the past years.