In 2015 there were 1362 road traffic collisions in Kyrgyzstan involving children, with 92 children being killed and 1568 being disabled or seriously injured. In 2014, 1346 road traffic collisions involving children were recorded in an 11-month period where 110 children died and 1490 sustained serious injuries. These numbers are truly horrifying. With the goal of decreasing these numbers and protecting children from being injured or dying on the road, EASST partner the Public Association “Road Safety” has launched a social action project titled ‘Improvement of children’s knowledge and behaviour about road safety in schools’, with the support of the USAID Good Governance and Public Strengthening Project (GGPAS).
The project aims to educate around 300 school children about the importance of road safety as well as training parents and teachers in selected schools to conduct lessons on road safety using a new pilot curriculum. Each school will also be equipped with an interactive system, which will teach pupils about the ‘rules of the road’ and how to behave in different situations on the road. It is anticipated that this innovative new approach will introduce a new model of road safety learning that will be adopted by other schools, local administrative bodies, traffic police and other agencies.
Rising numbers of vehicles on the road; low levels basic road safety knowledge amongst both drivers and pedestrians; as well as the lack of a wider road safety culture in Kyrgyzstan all increase the risks to road users. Moreover, children may not able to assess such risks or analyse road situations in the same way as an adult, as they are unable to calculate the distance between themselves and an approaching vehicle. Children are dependent on adults, therefore, to learn the rules of road; this is why Road Safety’s project also focuses on training parents and teachers. It is thought that teaching children these important life lessons will be more effective if taught by the adults (and drivers) who they are closest to.
The implementation of this project is estimated to take place between February and May of 2016. The training will take place in three selected schools in Bishkek. Let’s equip our children with the necessary knowledge on how to behave on the roads.
PA “Road Safety”: www.db.kg
Contact: Nurkamal Maksutova, Project Assistant
e-mail: reclago2@mail.ru; jolsafety@gmail.com
