The Road Accident Fund (RAF) will take its Comprehensive Road Safety Programme to Gauteng Province. The Programme which was launched this month targets school learners and out of school youth to cultivate a road safety mindset and principles.
RAF hopes to teach and raise awareness about road safety among students in primary, special, and high schools through this programme in a way that is educational, enjoyable, and engaging.
To enhance activism in their communities. This is done while fostering social entrepreneurship among young people not in school.
RAF Road Safety Senior Manager, Siphamandla Gumbi said that the Comprehensive Road Safety Programme targets 20 schools. It will consist of school talks, activations and competitions about road safety.
“Schools will each be eligible for prizes equivalent to the monetary value of infrastructure needs or educational materials, as determined by the school’s governing body”.
Meanwhile, youth in communities surrounding the identified schools will participate in road safety dialogues and present social entrepreneurship ideas related to road safety.
“Road Safety is one of the RAF’s key focus areas to educate road users, thus reducing and preventing road crashes through proactive activities that address behaviour and promote safety principles”.
“All these initiatives aim at preventing motor vehicle injuries and fatalities”, said Gumbi.
Similarly, we hope to influence positive behaviour on South African roads through the various activities lined up for school learners and out of school youth.”
The 20 qualifying schools were chosen from the four provinces with the highest accident rates: Gauteng, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape.
“The schools are also adjacent to congested national and provincial roadways”, added Gumbi.
