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Promoting safety around school premises

The Namibia Road Safety Forum (NRSF), in partnership with various road safety stakeholders, has engaged 14 schools around the country to implement and monitor scholar patrols with the aim to protect children around school premises.

The NRSF hosted the Westbank and Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund scholar patrol on 10 August at MH Greef Primary School in Khomasdal. The event focused on the implementation of scholar patrols in primary school around Windhoek to promote learners’ safety on and around school premises.

Horst Heimstadt, the master of ceremonies, said 30 years ago, the country had roughly 120 000 registered vehicles. That number has since grown to 400 000 and it is estimated that it will continue to grow to 700 000 in the next 30 years. “We need to work together to make this problem work for us,” he said.

Wesbank Namibia and the MVA Fund, in partnership with NRSF, City Police and the Namibia Road Safety Council (NRSC) have engaged schools to ensure that they comply with all the legal aspects of implementing scholar patrols and providing the necessary training, infrastructure, apparel and equipment needed.

MVA Fund representative Hilaria Graig said the fund used to collect data in terms road crashes, adding that pedestrian-related accidents accounted for about 27% to 30% of the country’s total crashes, which is very alarming.

“What we notice is that school-going children are most vulnerable in terms of pedestrian safety and we will work together as stakeholders to ensure there is a safe place for our children to cross the road. We will also advocate for a 30-kilometre speed limit near school premises,” she added.

Chief road safety officer Shikongeni Nashivela urged members of the public, parents and guardians to keep children to make sure they drop children off safely at school, especially in the morning.

“Our statistics indicate that more children are victims of road accidents, so we urge schools to have parking lots to avoid chaos when parents pick up their children,” Nashivela emphasised.

“We should take this opportunity to learn, to grow and to make a difference in life at your school and the lives of other learners you come to contact every single day. You are holding the future of this country in your hands,” Wesbank representative Tim Von Hase said to learners.