YORK ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL, LANSDOWNE, 4 MAY 2001
"ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION AT SCHOOLS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO MAKING SOUTH AFRICA'S ROADS SAFER FOR ALL OUR PEOPLE"
REPRESENTATIVES OF NATIONAL, PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT STAND BEFORE YOU TODAY TO APPLAUD THE ENGEN PILOT ROAD SAFETY PROJECT "DREAM RIDES" CURRENTLY BEING ROLLED OUT AT TEN PRIMARY SCHOOLS AROUND CAPE TOWN TO TEACH LEARNERS AT PRIMARY SCHOOLS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ROAD SAFETY AND TO EMPOWER THEM TO COPE SUCCESSFULLY WITH THE HAZARDS ON OUR ROADS THROUGH EDUCATION AND TRAINING.
IT IS AN EXCITING PROJECT WHICH AT THE SAME TIME WILL BE ENTERTAINING AND ENJOYABLE. I CONGRATULATE ENGEN, ITS STAFF, CO-SPONSORS, PICK 'N PAY AND EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED. MR ULREICH TROMP OF ENGEN AND MR TREVOR PAYLE OF DREAM RIDES DESERVE SPECIAL MENTION FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION. THIS IS ESSENTIALLY A PRIVATE SECTOR INITIATIVE IMPLEMENTED IN CO-OPERATION WITH THE PROVINCIAL EDUCATION AND TRANSPORT DEPARTMENTS WITH THE SUPPORT OF ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, INCLUDING NATIONAL GOVERNMENT WHICH I REPRESENT. ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU ENGEN PICK 'N PAY AND ALL SPONSORS AND CONTRIBUTORS.
UPPERMOST IN OUR MINDS TODAY IS OUR CHILDREN - IN THIS CASE OUR SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN. CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED TO SO MANY HAZARDS - MOST OF THEM INVOLVING VIOLENCE OF ONE KIND OR ANOTHER. WHEN A CHILD DIES ON OUR ROADS AS A RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT - WHETHER AS A PEDESTRIAN, A CYCLIST OR A PASSENGER IN A VEHICLE - IT MEANS THAT THE CHILD HAS DIED AS A RESULT OF VIOLENCE.
EACH ONE OF US HAS A ROLE TO PLAY TO BRING AN END TO VIOLENCE, TO REVERSE THE CULTURE OF VIOLENCE WHICH HAS BEEN OUR LEGACY, TO PROMOTE RESPECT FOR LIFE AND DIGNITY IN PRACTICE AND NOT ONLY IN WORDS. THERE ARE CREATIVE WAYS OF DOING THIS IN EACH ONE OF OUR AREAS OF WORK. THE ENGEN INITIATIVE IS ONE EXAMPLE OF INFLUENCING ROAD USER BEHAVIOUR WHICH IN THE MEDIUM TO LONG TERM WILL CHANGE DRIVER BEHAVIOUR, PASSENGER BEHAVIOUR AND PEDESTRIAN BEHAVIOUR.
IF WE ALL MAKE A CONTRIBUTION, A NEW CULTURE OF RESPECT FOR LIFE AND DIGNITY ON OUR ROADS WILL BEGIN TO FLOWER. SPECIAL CONSIDERATION MUST BE GIVEN TO PEDESTRIANS - ESPECIALLY CHILDREN. SOUTH AFRICAN LAW REQUIRES THAT DRIVERS MUST TAKE SPECIAL CARE WHEN THEY SEE CHILDREN ALONG OR ON OUR ROADS. DRIVERS MUST ANTICIPATE THAT A CHILD MAY DO SOMETHING UNEXPECTED OR IRRATIONAL LIKE RUNNING ACROSS THE ROAD. A DRIVER IS ALLOWED TO ASSUME THAT AN ADULT WILL BEHAVE IN A REASONABLE MANNER, THOUGH THERE ALSO THERE IS A DUTY OF CARE.
WHEN IT COMES TO CHILDREN, NO SUCH ASSUMPTION CAN BE MADE. A DRIVER WHO DOES NOT OBSERVE A HIGH STANDARD OF CARE TOWARDS CHILDREN ON OUR ROADS CAN BE GUILTY OF CULPABLE HOMICIDE IN THE CASE OF DEATH OR RECKLESS OR NEGLIGENT DRIVING.
I AM SAYING THIS BECAUSE ONE OF THE PRIORITIES OF NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS (AND THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED IN OUR DISCUSSION) IS TOUGHER LAW ENFORCEMENT - NOT ONLY AS RETRIBUTION AGAINST OFFENDERS - BUT TO BUILD A CULTURE OF LAW COMPLIANCE. A KEY FOCUS OF NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT THIS YEAR IS PEDESTRIAN SAFETY. EVERY YEAR ABOUT ONE THIRD OF ALL ROAD FATALITIES ARE PEDESTRIANS AND MANY OF THEM ARE CHILDREN - AND MANY IN THE RURAL AREAS.
ANOTHER AREA OF GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITY IS ROAD DESIGN BECAUSE VERY OFTEN, ESPECIALLY IN OUR TOWNSHIPS AND RURAL AREAS, THERE IS NO ADEQUATE PROVISION FOR SIDEWALKS. WE ARE GIVING ATTENTION TO THIS ASPECT AS WELL.
ALL OF US THEREFORE HAVE A CONTRIBUTION TO MAKE - ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, THE PRIVATE BUSINESS SECTOR, LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND ROAD USERS GENERALLY. A GREAT RESPONSIBILITY RESTS UPON VEHICLE OWNERS AND DRIVERS. LATER THIS YEAR WE WILL BE ANNOUNCING - AS NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS - INITIATIVES TO PROMOTE DRIVER FITNESS AND VEHICLE FITNESS. TODAY OUR FOCUS IS ON CHILDREN AND MOST OF THE TIME CHILDREN ARE PEDESTRIANS.
PEDESTRIANS MUST ALSO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ALSO MUST OBSERVE THE RULES OF THE ROAD. PEDESTRIAN BEHAVIOUR MUST BE IMPROVED. A PEDESTRIAN MUST NOT JEOPARDISE HIS/HER OWN SAFETY AND LIFE OR THE SAFETY AND LIVES OF OTHER ROAD USERS THROUGH BAD ROAD BEHAVIOUR.
FOCUSING ON CHILDREN, IN THIS CASE SCHOOLCHILDREN, PROJECTS LIKE THIS ONE TO ENSURE THAT CHILDREN ARE PROPERLY EMPOWERED AND TRAINED HOW TO COPE ON OUR ROADS - WHETHER AS CYCLISTS, PASSENGERS IN VEHICLES OR AS PEDESTRIANS, IS A VERY BIG STEP FORWARD FOR ALL OF US. I AM EXCITED ABOUT THE ENGEN "DREAM RIDES" PROJECT BECAUSE IT IS DESIGNED TO TEACH CHILDREN THE IMPORTANCE OF SAFE BEHAVIOUR AS PEDESTRIANS, AS PASSENGERS AND AS CYCLISTS. THE PROGRAMME HAS THE CAPACITY TO CHANGE BEHAVIOUR AND IF EXTENDED CAN MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON ROAD BEHAVIOUR - ALSO OF ADULTS BECAUSE THE CHILDREN WILL GO BACK HOME AND INFLUENCE THEIR PARENTS.
I SHOULD MENTION THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PRIVATE SECTOR INITIATIVES SUCH AS BY OIL COMPANIES, BY MOTOR VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS AND BUSINESS ENTITIES LIKE PICK 'N PAY WHO IN ONE OR OTHER WAY ARE CONTRIBUTING TO ROAD SAFETY PROGRAMMES. I WANT TO EXPRESS APPRECIATION FOR THIS.
AS A RESULT OF THEIR EFFORTS AND DEDICATED EFFORTS ON ALL SIDES - NATIONAL, PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, OUR VARIOUS CAMPAIGNS LIKE ARRIVE ALIVE AND THE SAFER SCHOOLS PROJECT AND THE STERLING CONTRIBUTION BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS WELL AS BY LARGE SECTORS OF THE ROAD USING PUBLIC WHO UNCOMPLAININGLY MAKE A CONTRIBUTION BY STRICTLY OBSERVING THE RULES OF THE ROAD, THE NUMBER OF ROAD ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES HAVE GONE DOWN.
CAMPAIGNS SUCH AS ARRIVE ALIVE, TO WHICH ENGEN AND OTHER PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES ARE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS, HAVE ASSISTED IN REDUCING DEATHS ON OUR ROADS OVER THE RECENT EASTER HOLIDAYS.
WHILE THE DEATH TOLL WAS STILL HIGH, THE BROAD REACH OF ARRIVE ALIVE, MADE POSSIBLE BY PRIVATE SECTOR INVOLVEMENT, HAS PREVENTED IT FROM BEING EVEN HIGHER. HOWEVER, WE NEED MORE PROJECTS SUCH AS DREAM RIDES, TO ENTRENCH A CULTURE OF SAFE MOTORING AND SAFER ROAD BEHAVIOUR IN OUR PEOPLE. IF WE CAN GET THIS CULTURE ENTRENCHED IN OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AT AN EARLY AGE, IT WILL MAKE OUR JOB MUCH EASIER IN THE LONG TERM.
IF IN RESPECT OF ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION AT SCHOOLS, THE PRIVATE SECTOR HAS TAKEN WONDERFUL INITIATIVES, WHAT IS GOVERNMENT DOING? FIRST I WANT TO REPEAT THAT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY WILL BE A PRIORITY FOCUS OF THE ARRIVE ALIVE CAMPAIGN THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR. THIS INVOLVES PROMOTING MAXIMUM PEDESTRIAN VISIBILITY, IMPROVING PEDESTRIAN BEHAVIOUR, PROMOTING OBSERVANCE OF THE RULES OF THE ROAD AND TOUGHER LAW ENFORCEMENT.
INSOFAR AS SCHOOLS ARE CONCERNED, THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION PROGRAMMES AT SOME SCHOOLS, BUT NOT AT THE MAJORITY OF SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS. THIS IS CHANGING AND THROUGH CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMME OF ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION INVOLVING PRE-SCHOOL LEVEL RIGHT THROUGH TO GRADE 12 HAS BEEN DEVISED. IMPLEMENTATION WILL FOLLOW THE OUTCOMES BASED APPROACH AND THE IMPLEMENTATION TIME FRAME SET FOR CURRICULUM 2005.
THE CURRICULUM STARTS BY MAKING SURE THAT OUR YOUNGEST CHILDREN ARE ABLE TO CROSS A STREET SAFELY AND WE END BY PRODUCING SAFETY CONSCIOUS YOUNG ADULTS (INCLUDING DRIVERS) TO WHOM WE CAN FULLY ENTRUST DRIVING VEHICLES CARRYING PASSENGERS OR HEAVY LOADS.
THIS ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION PROGRAMME IS DESIGNED TO DEVELOP KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ATTITUDES - AND PERHAPS EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY - VALUES THAT ENABLE PEDESTRIANS, CYCLISTS, MOTOR CYCLISTS, DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS TO USE THE ROAD SAFELY.
I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE APPROACH TO ADVERTISING TAKEN BY SOME MANUFACTURERS OF POWERFUL LUXURY VEHICLES IN THIS COUNTRY, WHO RELENTLESSLY EMPHASISE SPEED, AGGRESSION AND THE MOST PATHETIC REPRESENTATIONS OF MACHO POWER. ONE CAN ASK THE QUESTION: "HOW DOES THE BOASTED TOP SPEED OF 260 KM (AT TIMES DEPICTED IN ADVERTISEMENTS) FEEL WHEN YOU HAVE JUST KILLED A 4 YEAR OLD SCHOOL GIRL?" WE DO NOT NEED THIS KIND OF ARROGANT AGGRESSIVE ROLE MODEL.
WE NEED TO NURTURE OUR FREEDOMS AND OUR NEW DEMOCRACY AND ONE OF THE WAYS OF DOING THIS IS TO BUILD INTO ALL OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES FOR CHILDREN IMPORTANT VALUES OF RESPECT FOR LIFE AND DIGNITY, AND INSOFAR AS ROAD USE IS CONCERNED, AN ACTIVE SAFETY CONSCIOUSNESS WHICH MUST BECOME PART OF A WAY OF LIFE.
IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR I HANDED OVER TO THE NATIONAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION THE FIRST SETS OF ROAD SAFETY EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL DESIGNED TO GO OUT TO ALL SCHOOLS ACROSS OUR COUNTRY FROM 2001 ONWARDS. THESE, TOGETHER WITH THE GENERAL CURRICULUM FOR ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION, CLASS MATERIAL FOR PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOLS AND FOR GRADES 1 TO 4 AND 7 TO 8 WERE ALSO HANDED OVER. THESE WERE WORKED OUT IN FULL CO-OPERATION WITH THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.
BUT WHAT WE NEED IS PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION. WHAT WE NEED ARE PROGRAMMES WHICH CHILDREN WILL FIND ATTRACTIVE AND ENJOYABLE, BUT WHICH WILL AT THE SAME TIME EDUCATE AND IMPACT UPON BEHAVIOUR AND VALUES. THE ENGEN DREAM RIDES PROJECT MEETS THESE CRITERIA. ONCE AGAIN I SAY WELL DONE. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. I APPEAL TO ALL OUR SCHOOLS - GOVERNING BODIES, EDUCATORS AND LEARNERS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PROJECT BECAUSE IT WILL BENEFIT OUR CHILDREN, OUR PARENTS, OUR COMMUNITIES AND SOUTH AFRICA AS A WHOLE. IN THIS WAY WE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO BUILDING A HAPPIER AND CARING NATION.
I THANK YOU.