Debate reveals need for road safety education in schools
Four top school debate teams competed for a spot in the national Participatory Education Techniques (PET) competition and argued to road safety should be included in the school curriculum.
SCHOEMANSDAL – Learners from Lugebhuta Secondary School will soon be arguing that road safety needs to be incorporated in the school curriculum on a national stage.
The five learners were crowned the rural winners in the annual provincial Participatory Education Techniques (PET) competition held in Kinross near Evander last week and will be participating in the nationals, held in the North West Province next week.
Four schools from the province’s four regions competed, with Legebhuta and DM Motsaosele Secondary from Witbank chosen as the rural and urban winners.
Learners argued that road crashes would be reduced and safety improved if knowledge on road safety and road regulations are imparted to children from a young age an on a regular basis.
The competition is hosted by the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison (DCSSL) and aims to change learners’ attitudes towards road safety through participatory education.
It encourages grade 10 and 11 learners to identify road safety challenges in their community and find solutions through research. This gives them a hands-on opportunity to resolve their specific challenges.
READ: Roads even dangerous for protectors
During their presentations, learners mentioned that the government needs to improve road maintenance, visible policing and law enforcement. Some of their suggestions included the regular maintenance of roads by patching potholes, installing road signage where there is none and installing speed calming measures in townships.
Driving under the influence of alcohol was mentioned as a huge contributor to road crashes. Learners stated that traffic officers need to have enough resources, such as breathalysers, and be able to work at night to catch the majority of these cases.
READ: These road safety campaigns will make you think
Sandile Sibeko a learner from the DM Motsaosele Secondary School team, added that government needs to invest more in educating road users as road safety is more about individual behaviour.
“Traffic officers cannot control people’s behaviour and we as road users need to meet government halfway in this fight against road carnage by obeying the rules of the road and report those who disobey. This platform has provided us with more knowledge that we need to go back and share with fellow learners and people who live within our communities,” he said.
Mr Mzamani Vuma, representing the DCSSL, stated that the department is concerned about road crashes, especially those that involve young people who drive without licenses or under the influence of alcohol.
“The competition is a very good platform to warn young people who steal or take their parents’ vehicles and drive them without licenses and also instil responsibility so that when they buy cars, they know what is expected,” he said.
He urged learners to continue talking about road safety with their fellow learners and to report those who break the law to the authorities
