Applause Multimedia in collaboration with the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) has launched a child oriented educational road safety event dubbed: “Junior Road Care 2015,” in Accra.

The event which aims to orientate and promote child consciousness in matters regarding road safety was participated by 13 schools supervised by the five Garrison Educational Centre.

The students comprising both primary and junior high school pupils had road safety competitions such as quiz, drama and poetry.

In a speech read on her behalf, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, Minister of Transport, said children are among the vulnerable road user groups and commended Applause Multimedia for the awareness creation programme.

She said road traffic crashes threaten the survival of children and the realisation of their potential as future leaders because they die or are maimed for life.

“To arrest this, the NRSC has developed Road Safety Textbooks and Teaching materials manuals for basic and junior high schools, to assist the teaching and learning of road safety in schools to help improve knowledge and reduce child related deaths,” she said.

She said the NRSC had also embarked upon series of trainer of trainers workshops for teachers across the country to enable them teach the subject effectively.

Mrs Attivor said formation of Road Safety Clubs are being promoted in the basic schools to educate pupils on road safety and to also whip up interest of children.

She said even though data available indicated that about 21 per cent of fatalities involve children below 16 years, child fatality is witnessing a decline, attributing it to the road safety education, provision of safe pedestrian crossing facilities, pedestrian walkways and the institution of the Lollilop Stands Project.

“The NRSC will continue to be proactive in employing conventional approaches that are cost effective, practical and result oriented as we chart a paradigm shift in road safety management,” she said.

She expressed the hope that the Junior Road Care programme would have the expected impact on the pupils to enable them become ambassadors for road safety.

Mr Mohammed Jaleel Ligbi, Programme Coordinator, Applause Multimedia, said the Junior Road Care campaign would be sustained to be able to achieve its intended purpose.

At end of the competition, Service Primary/JHS emerged winners of the Quiz competition, Airforce Primary/JHS won the drama competition and Burma Camp Primary/JHS won the poetry.

The winners were given certificates and souvenirs provided by Vivo Energy and China Railway Construction, the main sponsors of the event.